Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

? Sexual harassment in the workplace This paper focuses on women sexual harassment in the workplace. It looks in details issues and behaviors that women consider as sexual harassment at work, impacts of sexual harassment, and other issues related to sexual harassment. The paper also analyses the question of whether women are the main victims of harassment as well as whether sexual harassment is a global issue. The final part of the paper will look into examples of women rights at the work place and ways to eliminate sexual harassment at the work place. This is a crucial topic to discuss since women have made significant progress towards achieving respect and equality at the work place, but there are some challenges that face their efforts. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Introduction For many years, women’s rights have been under threat, whether it is within the family set up or any other place outside the family set up. In many countries, the civil society organizations are in the forefront fighting for women equality in all spheres of life. However, equality have failed to prevail in various areas whereby women face lack protection from violence, political, economic, and personal security, and also lack of full access to sexual and reproductive health. It is worth mentioning that women have come out in large numbers to join the workforce around the world (Kaushik, 2003). Discussion The need to be financially independent is a significant contributing factor to these advancements in women life. The increased number of women in the workplace is marked with increased vulnerability of women to acts of sexual harassment. This form of women mistreatment is said to be the oldest and most widely spread form of women harassment. In addition, it affects lives of all women irrespective of their culture, age, religion, income, race or class. Experts point out that sexual harassment is a tool that men use to portray their dominance on women since they are considered to be the weaker gender. The most affected women in the society are those focused on fighting the patriarchal system (Shahira & Widad, 2009). Sexual harassment being about power puts women in an inferior position. There are women who respond to acts of sexual harassment in extremely strict manner, but the largest number of women continues to suffer in silence. Those who persevere with acts of sexual harassment do so due to fear of stigma, hostility, ridicule, and discrimination. At the work place, the management must ensure that women are protected from acts of sexual harassment as well as handling such cases in a free and fair manner when they arise. However, due regard is not paid to such cases, which aggravates the issue of sexual harassment in such organizations (Cobb-Clark, 2009). Over a long period of time, many countries have failed to recognize the issue of sexual harassment as a key violation of human rights. This has caused the lack of clear rules and methods to deal with cases of sexual harassment. However, countries such as India have made tremendous progress in combating offences on sexual harassment. In India, the Supreme Court recognizes acts of sexual harassment as unacceptable acts, which cannot be condoned at work places. The increased number of women at workplaces and the closeness between men and women calls for clear guidelines on how to deal sexual harassment in all countries (Shahira & Widad, 2009). Women are known to be excellent in whatever they do. Going by this fact, providing a safe work environment for women implies that their productivity at the workplace will be optimum. Therefore, any organization that is to excel in its operations should take advantage of its women work force. Study based evidence indicates that, in work places where women are in authority, there are less cases of sexual harassments towards women. This observation implies that main perpetrators of acts of sexual harassment are men in authority. This gives men in such positions a lot advantages since the affected women fear losing their jobs, hence opt to remain silent (Kisa et al, 2002). One clear advantage that men in authority have over their women counterparts is that they are the ones’ to handle cases of sexual harassment. Therefore, when they are the main perpetrators of those acts, there is no one who will come out to challenge them over their misconduct. Organizations that are fully committed to bringing to end offences of sexual harassment have set complaints committees, which handle such cases. This move reduces the advantage that men in authority have over their women counterparts (Kisa et al, 2002). Sexual harassment surveys that have so far been done in various parts of the world indicate that each woman is aware of sexual harassment. Their knowledge is as a result of personal experience or learning from fellow women workmates. Available statistics indicate that 42-50% of women workforce in industrialized countries have suffered from acts of sexual harassment. In the European Union, 40-50% of women work force has reported cases of sexual harassment. Women working in Asia-Pacific countries seem to be less affected by acts of sexual harassment with 30-40% of women workers reporting cases of sexual harassment. In Africa, cases of sexual harassment at the work place are extremely high, and this is evident from results of a survey conducted in South Africa, where 77% of women workforce reported cases of sexual harassment (McDonald, 2012). In Latin America, a number of countries appreciate that acts of sexual harassment are unacceptable at the work place. This evident from the fact that 30-50% of women working in Latin America has reported having suffered from acts of sexual harassment at least once in their lives. One intriguing thing about the perception on sexual harassment at work places is that a majority of women consider it as a normal phenomenon, which each woman will encounter in her workplace. To such women, acts of sexual harassment are normal and harmless, are a natural component of woman’s work environment, and they are issues that do not require any complaint or action. This fact indicates that women have accepted men’s behaviors regarding sexual harassment and are ready to cope up with such behaviors (McDonald, 2012). The range of behaviors that are considered as acts of sexual harassment There are several behaviors that are regarded as acts of sexual harassment. To describe such acts, it is essential to have a clear definition of sexual harassment, although it lacks one single definition. Sexual harassment refers to unwanted, unwelcome, and uncalled for behaviors that are sexual in nature. It can also be defined as an unwelcome sexual behavior that is a hindrance in one’s job as well as creating a hostile job environment. Acts of sexual harassment are either single isolated incidents or repeated incidents done over time. In America, sexual harassment is taken as a form of sex discrimination, which violates Title VII of the civil Rights Act of 1964 (Bruce & Alexander, 1994). Acts of sexual harassment are as discussed below. Verbal harassment: This refers to comments, which are sexual in nature or offensive when directed to a person of a given sex. Examples include sexual comments/innuendos, sexual jokes, talks on sexual fantasies, insults related to a person’s gender, having work discussions that are related to sex issues, and requesting for sexual favors in exchange for promotions and other favors (Bruce & Alexander, 1994). Non-verbal harassment: This may include all acts that are unspoken, but cause sexual harassment due to their nature. Examples include display of pictures that are sexual in nature on PCs and calendars, watching pornography at the work place. Psychological harassment: This refers to behaviors that cause psychological discomfort to a woman. This can arise when a male counterpart insists on accompanying a female counterpart, makes phone calls to a woman at odd hours, stalking the female counterpart, staring a woman’s breast, and sending obscene texts among other acts (Bruce & Alexander, 1994). Physical harassment: This refers to any attempt to have a touch on a woman’s body. Examples include physical assault, unnecessary touches or physical contact, suggestive signals that are sexual in nature such as ogling, pinching, squeezing, stroking, and brushing against someone. Extreme cases of physical, sexual assaults include exposing the penis, masturbation and standing in front of a woman while naked (Bruce & Alexander, 1994). The worst acts sexual harassment at the work place are rape, attempted rape and forced sex. Other moves, which are considered as acts of sexual harassment, include forcing women to work outside the normal working hours. Such a move may put a woman’s life at risk when the issue of going back home is not taken into consideration (Bruce & Alexander, 1994). Types of sexual harassment Sexual harassment can be of several forms. These forms can be of physical abuse or hostile work environment. The federal government describes two forms of sexual harassment. The Quid pro quo is one form, which is derived from a Latin word. This term refers to “something for something” or “this for that” and in this case it refers to acts of exchange. In work places, exchanges are between employees, whereby one employee offers sexual favor in order to get something else. Favorable treatments may include job promotions, increased pay or favorable work assignments. Quid pro quo sexual harassment is determined by the willingness of an employee to give sexual favors in order get anything that is on offer at the workplace (Das, 2009). The second form of sexual harassment focuses on hostile work environment. This refers to unwelcome conducts that are sexual in nature and have the potential to create discomfort to persons of a given gender (Das, 2009). Most acts under this category have been discussed in the section on a range of behaviors that are considered as acts of sexual harassment. Impacts of sexual harassment The negative impacts that are associated with sexual harassment are far reaching, touching nearly all aspects of women’s life. It is evident, from the issues discussed so far, that acts of sexual harassment not only affect the victim, but also the ability of the organization of an organization to achieve its missions. Therefore, effects of sexual harassment can range from psychological effects to economic effects. In situations of sexual harassment, the affected person feels threatened, humiliated, and harassed, which creates an intimidating, and threatening work environment. Psychological problems associated with sexual harassment include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, distress, and compromised wellness (Harned et al, 2009). The negative social impacts associated with sexual harassment are extremely high. This includes damaged interpersonal relationships among workmates, increased hatred, and severe circumstances such as cases of suicide. Some women who have suffered from rape or forced sex have taken their own lives due to psychological trauma. Any woman who has suffered sexual harassment always feels insecure over her job since there are threats of losing her job if she reveals about her experience. Men in authority take advantage of such fears and continue with their sexual assaults for at the expense of a suffering woman (Jenny, 2004). As mentioned earlier, women are excellent in their assignments compared to men. Therefore, in circumstances where organizations lose their women workforce due to sexual harassment, the quality of job plus productivity declines significantly. Apart from walking out of the workplace, women who persevere with sexual harassment have a reduced morale, which makes them less efficient in their assignments. An organization is likely to suffer from increased cost of performance due to high rates of sick leaves and pay. Other losses may arise due to the high rate of absenteeism, drop outs, recruitment training costs for new staffs, damage on institutional image, and negative institutional culture. In cases where sexually assaulted women take legal actions against their employer, the organization suffers losses due to high legal costs encountered when dealing with such cases (Jenny, 2004). Women’s rights at work and recommendations on how to eliminate sexual harassment in the work place At the workplace, women have the right to get fair treatment just like their male counterparts. However, in many organizations, this has not been the case and women have suffered from sexual assaults while exercising their expertise in their respective organizations. Therefore, the issue of equality at the workplace is not taken into consideration in many organizations. Women, just like men, should get job promotions and other advances in their career without issuing sexual favors (Echiejile, 1993). In my opinion, women should be protected more than men in any organizations and issues related to women at the workplace should be handled with a lot of care. Trade unions recognize acts of sexual harassment as issues, which they must actively deal with since most of them are driven by power relations within organizations. Women are the most vulnerable and less protected against acts of sexual harassment. This phenomenon is a result of women position at workplaces. In most cases, women work in jobs that are poorly paying, unregulated, unprotected, on the basis of subcontracts, part-time, and casual work. Under such conditions, women have less power to negotiate for better deals, which makes men in authority to assault them sexually. Despite all the challenges faced by women at the work place, acts of sexual harassment should not be given a chance to thrive in any organization. Therefore, strict measures must be undertaken to ensure women are safe from sexual harassment (Kaushik, 2003). Curbing sexual harassment at the work place is a collective responsibility for each and every person in any organization. Persons who carry out acts of sexual harassment have the responsibility to end such unwelcome behaviors. On the other hand, those affected by acts of sexual harassment must have the courage to confront persons who commit such offences. The fight against sexual harassment cannot be achieved without contributions from those who observe such acts happening. Therefore, observers of such acts should point out people who commit such offences. The employer/organization has the ultimate responsibility of responding to any complaints associated with acts of sexual harassment as well as coming up with a clear framework on handling such issues (McDonald, 2012). The best interventions to combat acts of sexual harassment can be taken at the organizational level. The management should be fully committed to addressing complaints related to sexual harassment. If quick interventions are not taken towards such acts, any laid down guidelines and procedures aimed at ending sexual harassment are likely to fail. Therefore, organizations must take issues of sexual harassment seriously. The most effective way is to have a committee that handles cases related to sexual harassment. Some ways of handling and preventing acts of sexual harassment include written or verbal warnings, suspensions, job transfers, and when the situation is worse, job termination becomes necessary (Jenny, 2004). Conducting regular meetings, unplanned spot checks, and regular trainings on sexual harassment may be effective in combating sexual harassment at workplaces. Employers must appreciate that it is their responsibility to provide a safe work environment specifically for their women workforce. Therefore, women have the right to take legal actions against their respective organizations in circumstances where they suffer sexual assaults as a result of negligence from the organization. Further measures must be taken to identify cases of sexual harassment that happen unnoticed. It is obvious that many women suffer in silence, which may be taken to mean that there are no cases of sexual harassment within the organization. This can be achieved by educating women on the importance of reporting sexual assaults and forming women welfare groups that allow women to share their experiences amongst themselves (Harned et al, 2009). Punishments for persons who commit offences of sexual harassment must be lethal. Hiring and promotion exercises must be done in a fair way in order to have women in all organizational levels. In addition, conduct and behaviors of all employees must be checked regularly. Women should not be allowed to work in hours that increase their vulnerability to sexual harassment. In addition, organizations should avoid keeping women in isolation or dangerous locations (Jenny, 2004). Although dealing with issues related to sexual harassment at the organizational level is the best option, there are legal remedies that are helpful in solving issues related to sexual assaults. They are best applied in extreme cases such as rape cases or in situations where organizations have failed to deal with such cases. It is necessary for every country to lay down strict rules and regulations that will ensure that sexual offenders are dealt with properly. However, in many countries, the law is extremely strict when handling cases of sexual harassment because women may take advantage of their vulnerability to fix male counterparts who are a hindrance to their success. Therefore, women who report cases of sexual harassment should have sufficient evidence to support their case beyond any reasonable doubt (Kaushik, 2003). Women should also conduct themselves in a manner that does not increase their vulnerability to sexual assault. This includes decent dressings, avoiding the company of male counterparts to places that put them at risk of being assaulted sexually, and finally get the courage to confront those who assault them. References Abdel-hameid, S. A. (2009). Sexual Harassment in the Workplace . Ahfad Journal, 26 (1) . Bruce, H., Alexander, G. F. (1994). The Sexual Assault of Women at work in Washinton state, 1980 to 1989. American Journal of Public Health, 84 (4). Cobb-Clark, D. A. (2009). Gender-biased behavior at work: Exploring the relationship between sexual harassment and sex discrimination. Journal of Economic Psychology, 782-792. Das, A. (2009). Sexual Harassment at Work in the United States. Behavioral Science, 38 (6), 909-921. Echiejile, I. (1993). "Dealing with Sexual Harassment at Work. Employee Counselling Today, 5 (4), 21 - 29. Harned, M. S., Ormerod, A. J., Palmieri, P. A., Collinsworth, L. L., & Reed, M. (2009). Sexual assault and other types of sexual harassment by workplace personnel: A comparison of antecedents and consequences. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(2). Jenny, B. (2004). Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Ethical Dilemma for Career Guidance Practice? British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 32(10), 109-121. Kisa, A., Dziegielewski, S. & Ates, M. (2002). Sexual Harassment and Its Consequences. Journal of Health & Social Policy, 15 (1). Kaushik, B. (2003). "The Economics and Law of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17(3), 141-157. McDonald, P. (2012). Workplace Sexual Harassment 30 Years on: A Review of the Literature. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14 (1), 1–17. Read More