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Sexual harassment is one of the biggest problems facing our schools
and businesses today. A week rarely goes by without a reminder of the
pervasiveness of sexual harassment as a social problem. Sexual
harassment is a growing problem in the government agencies, schools,
and the corporations of the world; however, many corporations are now
adopting new anti-harassment policies.(Conta)
The definition of sexual harassment is any unwanted or
inappropriate sexual attention. That includes touching, looks,
comments, or gestures. A key part of sexual harassment is that it is
one sided and unwanted. There is a great difference between sexual
harassment and romance or friendship, since those are mutual feelings
of two people. Often sexual harassment makes the victim feel guilty,
but it is important for the victim to remember that it is not their
fault, the fault lies totally on the person who is the harasser.
Many times fear is involved in sexual harassment because it isn't
about physical attraction, it's about power. In fact, many sexual
harassment incidents take place when one person is in a position of
power over the other; or when a woman has an untraditional job such as
a police officer, factory worker, business executive, or any other
traditionally male job. Typical victims of harassment are young,
single, college-educated, members of a minority racial or ethnic group
(if male), in a trainee position (or office/ clerical positions if
male), or have an immediate supervisor of the opposite sex. (Cq
researcher 542)
Presently, it is hard for courts and others to decide when sexual
harassment has taken place because the definition of sexual harassment
is much too broad. Clearing up the legal definition of sexual
harassment would discourage and punish harassers and bring comfort to
the victims. Here are some points to remember in deciding when sexual
harassment takes place: Sexual harassment is one-sided and unwelcome.
* It is about power and not attraction. * It happens over and over
again. * It gets worse. * Subtle sexual behavior is sometimes socially
acceptable, but some would consider it offensive and want it stopped. *
Moderate sexual behavior is not socially acceptable, reasonable people
would want it stopped. * Severe sexual behavior is never acceptable.
(Swisher 28)
Sexual harassment is a major problem in public schools, colleges,
and universities. Surveys on college campuses show the number of
respondents reporting to have been sexually harassed ranging from 40-70
percent. Only two percent of campus harassment cases involve a
professor demanding sex in return for a good grade. Most cases involve
male and female students.
In public schools current sexual harassment definitions are
inappropriate, since bad sexual behavior of today's children isn't
sexual harassment, but it is a reflection of the vulgar, violent, and
the sexually explicit nature of our media and culture. When little
six-year-old children get suspended from school for kissing girls on
the cheek, it is not an example of sexual harassment but of political
correctness gone wild.
Sexual harassment is still a big problem in schools and every
school district in Washington now has an antiharassment policy. "Junior
high or middle school has the biggest problem with sexual harassment
mainly because of their immaturity and out-of-control hormones". Says
Viki Simmons of the YWCA. "Many times in high school, students don't
think anything about it when harassment happens, but schools are now
cracking down on it". (Simmons interview)
In the business world employers are now on notice that sexual
harassment will no longer be tolerated in the workplace. Claims brought
against alleged harassers include wrongful termination, invasion of
privacy, violation of due process and free speech rights, defamation,
and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Sexual harassment usually happens to women in low-paying jobs, or
women that have to have a job in order to support themselves and
children. If sexual harassment happens at work, write down a detailed
description of what took place, so that it is well recorded and you
don't have to think back to the incident. You should keep a note pad
handy for this purpose, or write it on a napkin to help you remember.
You should write:
* When it happened * Where it happened * What time it happened *
What actually took place and what the offender said * How you felt *
The names of any witnesses
Another way to do this is to write a letter to the harasser. Be
sure to keep a copy. Tell the person clearly in the letter that his
behavior toward you is unwanted. Tell the person that he will be
reported if the behavior doesn't stop (Kolbert). According to the
research group Catalyst, recent studies have found that 40 percent to
60 percent of woman say they have been harassed sometime in their
career.
Employers have a duty to investigate allegations of sexual
harassment, and their employees have a legitimate interest in knowing
what activities could result in their termination. Ever clearer
definitions of sexual harassment are being implemented by more and more
corporations around the country. As this happens, an increasing number
of companies are searching for new ways of protecting themselves
against allegations, adopting their own anti- harassment policies to
combat this growing problem.
CEO's should do a variety of things to stop sexual harassment in
the work place. The most important thing is senior management makes it
clear to workers that harassment in any form won't be tolerated. If top
managers don' take the issues seriously, employees won't either.
Managers must also understand they are responsible for their employees.
Companies need an explicit written policy on sexual harassment that
is widely available in the workplace. Most consultants advise companies
to do more than just post the policy on bulletin boards. They should
distribute it company wide, repeatedly. Copies should be included in
new employee orientation packets. Employees should have clear
definitions of what sexual harassment is and isn't.
Many companies are now offering employee training sessions on
sexual harassment, and many say that follow up training is a good idea.
Training programs should include all employees, rather than just
managers. The tone should be gender neutral and avoid heavy discussions
on male harassment that might cause some resentment among the male
employees. Many times programs aren't effective because they spend a
lot of time just attacking men and not the crime.
Companies need a good system to deal with complaints. A clear
process for handling complaints shows that a company takes them
seriously. Until 1991 it was harder for woman to make allegations of
sexual harassment, since woman felt like there was nothing that they
could do about it. But the highly publicized hearings of Clarence
Thomas and Anita Hill in 1991 changed everything.
During the fall of 1991, the subject of sexual harassment grabbed
news headlines. Everyone began discussing this issue and emotions ran
high. Judge Clarence Thomas was nominated to be a Supreme Court
Justice, which is America's highest court, and Supreme Court Justices
have their jobs for life. They cannot be fired. Before a person can be
made a Justice, he or she must be questioned and approved by Congress.
Judge Thomas was ounce the head of a U.S. agency called the EEOC.
The EEOC makes sure everyone is treated fairly when applying for a job.
It also enforces laws against sexual harassment. Anita Hill is a law
professor who worked with Judge Thomas at the EEOC many years ago. A
few weeks into the Congressional Questioning she came forward and
accused Thomas of sexual harassment. She claimed that he used to
constantly ask her for dates and spoke to her about pornographic films
he had seen. Anita Hill said that she was deeply offended by these
remarks but felt that she could not complain. Clarence Thomas was her
boss, and she thought that her career could be in trouble if she made a
fuss.
Anita Hill was a very believable witness. But Judge Thomas denied
her charges in the strongest possible terms. Who was telling the truth?
The country was divided. But the issue was being discussed everywhere.
Women from all across the nation told of their experiences with sexual
harassment. And many men admitted being insensitive to this issue.
Finally, the senate voted to approve Judge Thomas. But the vote was
close. Many senators had doubts about Thomas's character. Others did
not the, Thomas's career should be destroyed because of one person's
story. They said there was not enough evidence to prove there was
wrongdoing. In the end, everyone agreed that sexual harassment is a
serious problem everyone must become more sensitive to. (Kolbert pg 3)
It's important to know that men have trouble too. Women are not the
only victims of sexual harassment. More and more men are being harassed
in the workplace, classrooms, and locker rooms. Whoever is in the
position of power tends to be the harasser. Men can be victims of both
woman and other men
Sexual harassment is very wide spread, but there are ways of
avoiding it, such as: Keeping everything strictly on a business level.
If working in the same room as the harasser, create a barrier between
the two work stations with a desk or file cabinet, etc. Do not ask for
personal favors or special treatment from the harasser so that he won't
feel he is owed anything. Do not talk about anything personal.
Sexual harassment is always wrong. No one deserves it. And it is
always hurtful to the victim. Sexual harassment is a major social
problem facing government agencies, schools, and businesses today, but
if everyone confronts this problem, men and women would be able to work
better together at school and at work, and men and women would be able
to build less stressful relationships.
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