Sexual Harrassment
It is important to discuss sexual harassment in the workplace because it has many social, financial, and psychological consequences if not properly dealt with (Gerdes 33). Over the last 20 years, the Supreme Court has handled hundreds of cases dealing with the issue. It has modified and amended the laws concerning the act in order to form a less hostile workplace (Springer). It is hard to calculate just how much sexual harassment is taking place in the workplace because so many employees are unaware of the rules, but also because many are just too embarrassed to come forward. The most accurate and recent study was taken in 1987 and found that as many as 44% of women and 19% of men have experienced some sort of unwanted sexual advancements in public agencies alone. The number of incidents occurring in private business is unknown (Lindenberg 2). It is expected that as more women assume supervisory positions in the work place that the numbers will increase (Larsen). In order to discuss the topic of sexual harassment in the work place, one must have a clear definition of what actually constitutes sexual harassment. Surprisingly, however, there is no one single
No matter what the sex of the victim of sexual harassment, often they display a typical set of symptoms that affect their personal and working lives. Obviously, it will make any situation in which they must encounter the perceived perpetrator very uncomfortable and often emotionally disturbing. In severe cases it could evoke intense fear and anxiety. Stress, headaches (and other somatic symptoms), as well as post traumatic stress symptoms often follow the events. One deals with these symptoms while they are deciding whether they did in fact experience sexual harassment, if they should report the incidents, and if so, how they go about doing so. They often become withdrawn from social events at the workplace, including the frequent "water cooler" chat in fear that others may know and condemn them or that maybe they will be approached by other perpetrators. It is at this moment that at man must recognize whether a woman is playing hard to get or if she has truly made up her mind. Unfortunately, if the woman is genuinely refusing the advancements, even if it is a simple request for a date, a man puts himself at risk of being accused of hostile environment sexual harassment (Gerdes 87-88). The United States Supreme Court has the final decision on interpretation of sexual harassment laws and policies. Each decision is made on a case by case basis and is subject to the opinions of the court itself, not only the written laws. Ms. Faragher was a lifeguard for the city of Boca Raton in Florida. She charged that her immediate supervisors created an environment for her and her female coworkers that was sexually hostile. This included unwanted and offensive touching, lewd remarks and speaking of women in terms deemed offensive. The district court ruled in her favor, saying that the behavior was discriminatory and had created an abusive work environment. Furthermore, the court found that the city was also liable because they were made aware of these charges and failed to handle the situation in accordance with Title VII. The Eleventh Circuit disagreed, holding only the immediate supervisor accountable. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled very strongly that the supervisors and the city were not only to be held accountable, but that the city allowed unchecked authority over the subordinates of the supervisors in question, which is a violation. The court did not even allow the City to present a defense because they had completely failed to implement a sexual harassment policy on their beach employees (Springer). It is not uncommon for women to at first resist advancements from men, who will proceed to try again, only to
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1795
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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