How To Reduce Sexual Harassment Essay, Research Paper

Petrie Manuel

3/7/99

We Need to Take Action

Sexual harassment had become a topic of concern in large organizations like businesses, hospitals, schools, and the military. These organizations have seen an increase in sexual harassment cases and are now spending time and money searching for ways to reduce the problem. We need to establish an efficient policy for investigating and resolving the complaints. We also need to communicate well with each other in order to identify sexual harassment taking place and understanding it as well. A revival of feminism can reduce sexual harassment. An alternative to means of effective communication, socialism can reduce sexual harassment.

“Business stands on the front line in the battle against harassment, pushed there by judicial decisions in the 1980s that hold employers financially liable for workers’ transgressions unless the company actively strives to prevent offenses and responds effectively when they occur (Sexual Harassment, Deutschman, page 92).” As a result, corporations are getting tough about the subject. They hold seminars for employees, establish 24-hour hotlines and provide security for victims, and initiate and establish inquiries. Companies should create and publicize a forceful policy against sexual harassment. Companies must act before a problem occurs. The EEOC encourages employers to “take all steps necessary to prevent sexual harassment from occurring, such as affirmatively raising the subject, expressing strong disapproval, developing appropriate sanctions, informing employees of their right to raise, and how to raise, the issue of harassment under Title VII, and developing methods to sensitize all concerned. (www.uakron.edu/lawrev/robert1.html).” First, companies need a comprehensive, detailed written policy on sexual harassment. The CEO should issue the policy and make it a high priority of the company. Second, they need to distribute this policy to all workers, supervisors, and even some non-employees. According to uakron.com, a basic policy should set forth the following: an express commitment to eradicate and prevent sexual harassment; a definition of sexual harassment including both quid pro quo and hostile work environment; an explanation of penalties (including termination) the employer will impose for substantiated sexual harassment conduct; a detailed outline of the grievance procedure employees should use; additional resource or contact persons available for consultation; an express commitment to keep all sexual harassment complaints and personnel actions confidential. Following this policy will bring about a deep understanding of sexual harassment and the penalties and procedures for committing sexual harassment. To ensure effective communication of the policy, all employees should take customized training on sexual harassment awareness. Giving out handbooks or putting up posters at work could make sexual harassment noticeable and increase reported cases. Teaching the employees about how bad sexual harassment is and using role-playing or other techniques to rehearse to counter it would reduce sexual harassment as well.

Education is a good means of communication in reducing sexual harassment. It is a good place to start with children in grade school. This is where children would be taught the basics of sexual harassment and would teach them between what is right and wrong. Watching videos and documentaries would give a better understanding since young children learn better with visuals. The students should ask many questions about sexual harassment in order to understand it when they get older. As the children mature and become older, the topic of sexual harassment will get more into depth. Education on harassment should not just be taught in school but at companies, church, and the community.

The simplest and most effective way to end harassment in most instances is to ask or tell the person to stop. They could also tell other colleagues or threaten to tell on them, which will scare the offender as well. Doing this will let the offender be aware that he/she is doing something wrong and should stop. If the offender doesn’t understand what he/she is doing wrong, then both the victim and the perpetrator could talk it out. The victim will then be able to tell how he/she feels, and maybe the perpetrator will understand and stop. Pretending to ignore the offensive behavior would make the sexual harassment not stop. The victim will just always have those bad emotions inside bottled up and these could be harmful. The offender would take advantage of the situation or probably doesn’t know what he/she is doing is offensive. If someone feels that he/she is being harassed, they should report it right away. It will make the case easier to handle and control than reporting a case a year later. Sexual harassment cases are a long process.

Men perpetrate sexual harassment. The women need to let them know what they are doing wrong. We need to communicate to each other to understand each other. Sexual harassment is a tough topic that involves a lot of argument. Even some women don’t even notice that they are being harassed till later on. Men might rethink their behavior by consulting their female co-workers. Women should get into the man’s emotion when talking about sexual harassment. Men have women in their lives. Men have a grandma, wife, daughter, sister, and so on. The men wouldn’t want a guy harassing their mom or sister. Suppose the man heard a guy go up to his daughter and commented on her body saying, “Wow, you are looking good, girl!” Don’t tell me that he is going to just stand there and do nothing. He is going to want to kill that guy who made that comment. With that kind of reaction, the man should understand what women go through and understand sexual harassment. Feminists should not put out all the anger on men. It just creates more tension and conflict. They should approach them in a smart way by getting to his heart through his concern for the women he loves.

A revival of feminism can reduce sexual harassment. Feminists brought about sexual harassment; therefore, they are capable of finding solutions to this problem. “The remaining revelations offered by the Hill-Thomas case transcend sexual transgressions: They expose the failure of our political system to work on behalf of women, and they highlight the way in which economic pressure from the male-dominated workplace has helped to paralyze feminism as a broad-based social movement over the past decade (Sexual Harassment, page 101).” We need to understand that it is not about women being emotionally or physically hurt but their equal rights are violated through sexual harassment as well. Women need to work hard together and speak up about it. Sexual harassment is, according to one top female official, “the culture of the Hill.” The Hill-Thomas case provides an important insight into the fate of American feminism; “specifically why, after flourishing in the activists 1970s, it was driven underground to stagnate, at least in the mainstream, throughout the individualists 1980s (Sexual Harassment, page 103).” Although, Anita Hill has kept silent for ten years before bringing this to the Supreme Court. This is representative of the general silencing of women’s issues in the male-dominated workplace. Women need to be much stronger and determined. The companies itself can’t make all the policies to prevent and stop harassment. It’s like this: the coach can make the team good but the player can do much more.

In contrast with means of good communication, an alternative to reduce sexual harassment would be to establish socialism. Richard Marx claimed that capitalism dehumanizes all workers, as it alienates them from their work. It is also a system in which workers are forced to compete with one another for limited job and advancement opportunities and to gain power through higher status. “Our present social and economic system?creates the material conditions and social climate that constantly reproduce and reinforce sexist behavior (Sexual Harassment, page 107). What if we established socialism? In a socialist society, the associated producers will be the masters of their own work, their own conditions of work and their own economic fate. There will be no more selling of labor power, no more labor markets, no more competition for jobs, no more unemployment, poverty and economic insecurity. There will be no level of power and no oppression on the job. Human dignity and benefits of cooperation for the social good will be promoted. It is the opposite of capitalism. Wow, would this be a big step to make. Hey, it’s a possible solution.

Enforcing policies, communicating with each other, a revival of feminism, and the establishment of socialism are possible solutions to the problem. I’m not saying that it will solve the problem but will reduce it. Sexual harassment is a lot of investigation and exploration and will be tough to resolve.