The Issue of Sexual Harassment - Essay Example

Sexual Harassment Eventually, an important is being accorded the publi it deserves. Initially, cases of sexual harassment were solemnly treated as individual problems brought forward by women who in one way or another solicited for the same (LeBlanc, 2014). In fact the common belief was that women who encountered sexual harassment in the course of their professional life had dubious virtues or were lodging false complaints to access illegitimate job advancements which they didn’t deserve. This however changed in 1976 when the issue started gaining grounds and many concerned individuals and organizations began voicing their opinion son sexual harassment. Over the years, this subject has grown to be treated as a gross violation of women rights and dignity. As things stand, cases of sexual harassment are taken seriously and addressed appropriately when promptly reported to the concerned authorities. Proper address of this issue is essential for a healthy working atmosphere of the female workers and subsequent promotion of women’s dignity in the society. Sexual harassment is a complicated and understandably heated topic. Unfortunately, what might appear an act of sexual harassment to a certain individual might not be perceived as abuse by the other party. While some see unsolicited verbal comments, gestures or physical contact of sexual nature unwelcome, the others view it as non- reciprocal male behaviour that asserts a woman sex role over her functioning as a worker (Giuffre and Williams, 1994). Regardless of the different opinions, one thing is always clear; the advances leading to sexual exploitation are often unwelcome by the victims. In addition, these cases often occur in instances where huge power differences exist; probably between a higher ranking officer and a common subject. It is an ethical and legal obligation of organizations to curb this menace in the varied work places. As a result, several strategies have been developed to assist organizations in dealing with this serious issue. One effective strategy that has worked for many organizations is enhanced training with regards to sexual harassment. Developments of awareness education programs that address sexual harassment are essential in minimizing this menace at work places. Proper training not only helps in prevention of related discriminations but also assists in evading similar occurrences. Among the topics covered in effective training programs include recognition of harassment, harassment prevention strategies, understanding work place policies pertaining to sexual harassment, effective ways of reporting harassment claims and the entire reporting procedures. Another strategy implemented is the creation of power balance at different work stations. As observed by many researchers, women are the major victims of this vice and it is meted on them by their male superiors. Many organizations have therefore reserved certain high ranks to women with hope of reducing cases of sexual harassment. Several organizations have also exploited the change of work place cultures in tackling the sexual harassment menace as many instances of the subject are promoted by unhealthy work place cultures. This includes upholding of mutual respect among the employees and continued building of professional working relationships between the supervisors and the other workers. There is also the culture of ignoring claims put forward by victims (Martin, 1984). Many organizations have changed this by equipping those charged with the responsibilities of handling such cases with the necessary capabilities. Sexual harassment is perfectly included in the course work with most coverage pointing towards the forms and possible ways addressing this issue. Though not vividly, the course work creates basic awareness on what might be regarded as sexual harassment and different techniques of identifying such at the work place. It also enlightens the learners on a few ways of tackling this challenge and the possible channels of addressing this issue. Understanding the subject of sexual harassment would not have been deemed a complete success without the help of the research that was very instrumental in vivid comprehension of the vice (McLaughlin, Urgent and Blackstone, 2012). Based on the findings, certain aspects with regards to causes, impacts and reporting of sexual harassment claims emerged multiple times and are therefore of great importance in vivid comprehension of this vice. Starting with the causes, sexual harassment was more prone in industries or organizations that were characterised by male workers. Quite a good percentage of the cases reported were from companies where the female workers didn’t constitute the major part of the work force and as such became more susceptible to this vice. In addition, many single females were targeted as main objects of sexual exploitation by the male offenders as compared to those who were married and in stable families. The proprietors of this shameful act viewed them as less protected and therefore more readily available for this shameful act. It’s even worse among more educated females who defied many social orders to rank high in the fields that were traditionally considered male-dominated. Many men see them as potential targets as they seem to highly value their work than any other thing (Cates and Machin, 2012). Having this in mind, they went ahead and executed their unsolicited acts with success as reported by varied sources. From the report, several impacts of sexual harassment were evident both on the affected individuals and organizations. For the individuals, physical, psychological and financial impacts were associated with most sexual harassment cases. Physical effects observed in many victims included fatigue, headache, nausea, gastrointestinal disorders and even eating disorders. With regards to psychological impacts, cases of this act often result to constant humiliation, loss of self-esteem, embarrassment, fear, alienation and the nagging feeling of vulnerability. Adverse cases of sexual harassment even led to post traumatic stress disorders, depression and uncontrollable anxiety. Witnesses also observed that most individuals who suffered sexual exploitation at work places ended up quitting their job, taking multiple work leaves and early retirements which in turn grossly affected them financially. To the organizations, cases of sexual harassments were associated with tension and restlessness in the work place (Berndahl, 2007). Moreover, several reports also indicated instances of low performances in the affected industries leading to eventual reduced productivity. In addition, the involved companies stood chances of experiencing financial losses either directly by settling the harassment claims or indirectly as a result of reduced productivity. The research also revealed several issues related to the reporting of sexual harassment claims. One evident aspect was that many cases of harassment went unreported due to a number of reasons. For one, the victims feared the economic impacts of such moves as such might result to loss of job opportunities. Moreover, others feared the emotional distress and embarrassment that would follow if the other workers got to know of their predicaments (Berndahl, 2007). For some people, there was no essence, and very little if any, of reporting such cases as the certain managements barely followed such cases especially if the suspects were higher ranking officials of the organizations. For those that were reported, the outcomes varied with the setup of the organizations with some taking the cases seriously and the others reluctantly handling the cases. In the course of the research, different bodies proved instrumental in addressing sexual harassment. Among others, Journal of Business Management and Social Sciences, Research and American Sociological Review Organization and the government have done commendable work pertaining to the subject. In addition, the Journal of Applied Psychology has also been vocal with respect to the topic. The journals sources have been instrumental in feeding the mass with essential information regarding sexual harassment (Sundaresh and Hemalatha, 2013). The government even conducted a research on the same through a parliamentary Committee and the findings tabled in February 2014. Most of their efforts have had positive effects on targeted individuals by effectively creating awareness on sexual harassment. The journals have continued to receive multiple readers with most of them appreciative of the contributions. In order to improve the situation, the concerned organisations have taken into consideration the instrumental step of training workers on sexual harassment (Schultz and Goldsmith, 2001). Starting with the government, policies have been put in place to ensure that work places comply with the requirement (Lunenburg, 2010). The workers are trained on a number of topics related to the subject some of which include harassment prevention strategies, co-worker intervention in harassment cases, developing a respectful work place and comprehension of the working policies with regards to sexual harassment. The aforementioned organizations have also enhanced the training by publishing relevant print outs on topic related to sexual harassment. Moreover, they have also stepped out into selected working places to offer the same. Honestly, the sexual harassment awareness strategy of training workers has been effective in curbing this menace. The governments’ move to ensure sexual harassment training in work places is a commendable move as several workers get to be enlightened on the same (Schultz and Goldsmith, 2001). This also reduces the likelihood of those who were taking advantage of the worker’s ignorance of going ahead with their illegal acts. However, it is not possible to have the detailed information reach every single worker throughout the nation, especially through physical training, and this is a major weakness of the strategy. Nevertheless, continued sexual harassment awareness to the remotest work places is bound to improve the working conditions of women globally. With enhanced knowledge on this subject, fewer women are likely to fall victims of sexual harassment as they will know how to react to every condition pertaining to this. It is very clear that sexual harassment is a complex problem that must be addressed through a variety of approaches. As such, training alone cannot guarantee full success in combating this menace. For more desirable outcomes therefore; several other steps have to be put in place if close to zero cases of sexual harassments are to be reported in the future. For one, harassment cases should be treated seriously upon report and handled within a given time frame as opposed to the unspecified time frame that is currently in place. The sanctions related to sexual harassments should also be stepped up in order to demonstrate that sexual harassment is not tolerated by any chance. Lastly, the training should be expanded to include several other topics like responsibilities of managements and employers in tackling sexual harassment and how to raise complaints of sexual harassment which are barely covered currently. References Berndahl, J. L. (2007). The Sexual Harassment of Uppity Women. Journal of Applied Psychology. 92(2), 425-437. Cates, S. V. & Machin, L. (2012). The State of Sexual Harassment in America: What is the Status of Sexual Harassment in the US Workplace Today? The Journal of Global Business Management. 8(1). Giuffre, P. & Williams, C. (1994). Boundary Lines: Libelling Sexual Harassment in Restaurants: Gender & Society. 8(3), 378-401. LeBlanc, H. (2014). Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women: A study on Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace. Canada: House of Commons. Lunenburg, F. C. (2010). Sexual Harassment: An Abuse of Power. International Journal of Management,Business and Administration. 13(1), 1-7. Martin, E. S. (1984). Sexual Harassment: The Link between Gender Stratification, Sexuality and Women’s Economic Status. California: Mayfield McLaughlin, H.,Uggen, C., & Blackstone, A. (2012). Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power. New York: SAGE Schultz, V. & Goldsmith, E. (2001). Sexual Harassment: Legal Perspectives. New York: Elsevier Publishing Ltd Sundaresh, N. & Hemalatha, K. (2013). The Theoretical Orientation to Sexual Harassment at Workplace.Journal of Business Management and Social Sciences Research. 2(4), 74-79 Read More