Sexual Harassment Essay, Research Paper

The article reviewed covers a legal dimension of the topic of sexual harassment. Although since the introduction of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 a sound progress has been made in that direction, some issues still have to be met. The purpose of this article is to identify and describe these issues.

Central ideas.

- The problem of sexual harassment is very important. It involves psychological consequences for victims and financial costs for employers.

- There are two forms of sexual harassment. The first one is known as quid pro quo sexual harassment, the second one is called ?hostile environment?. ?Hostile environment? form of sexual harassment is the most problematic one since more precise and clear definition is needed for it in order t become workable.

- The ambiguity remains about the ?reasonable woman? standard, because it is not become a legal norm yet.

- Uncertainties about employer?s responsibilities remain, because the Supreme Court ruling in Meritor Savings Bank case practically gave employers an opportunity of escaping responsibility for harassment provided ?they didn?t know of the harassment and reasonably could not be expected to know of it?.

- The unresolved question of the legal status of bisexuals, transsexuals, gay men and lesbians also constitutes a serious problem.

- The possibility of backlash by men and the effect that it might cause on women?s desire to initiate a sexual harassment investigation are to be determined.

- All the problems stated above are subject to regulation by Congress (it can amend the law), by EEOC (it can issue clarifying guidelines), or by more definite ruling of the Supreme Court.

Critique.

Although the author says in the beginning of his article that he takes a legalistic approach