Sexual harassment - Research Paper Example

Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment has been a fact of life since the dawn of time, but not usually recognized as having any kind of severe consequences on the individual until relatively recent years. The official definition of sexual harassment is “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature” (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2002). Despite popular opinion, the victim and the harasser can be a man or a woman, and the victim doesn’t necessarily have to be the opposite gender from the harasser.

In addition, the harasser is not necessarily always the supervisor of the employee. The harasser can also be an agent of the employer, a co-worker, a worker from another area, a non-employee, a teacher, a student or any number of individuals with whom the victim might come into contact in the daily course of their living activities. Although most employers have some kind of sexual harassment policies in place, it is often not taken seriously enough and the victims may have difficulty bringing their concerns to attention.

What has come to light and what is important to remember when finding it difficult to understand the significance of true sexual harassment, is that it is very limiting to both male and female students and workers. In many ways, sexual harassment functions to restrict access to certain professions or educational paths based on nothing more than gender simply because those being harassed are not taken seriously or chose to flee rather than bring the offending behavior to attention. Despite the emphasis given to sexual harassment issues within the workplace, the patterns of harassment actually start much earlier, often in grade school.

According to a 2001 report, “Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing and Sexual Harassment in School” conducted by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, four out of five students of both genders have indicated that they have experienced some type of sexual harassment while attending school. (“Hostile Hallways”, 2001). Like students in high school and below, college students often feel it necessary to hide or flee rather than confront their harasser or bring the behavior of this individual to the attention of the authorities.

Part of this reason resides in the general perception held regarding sexual harassment on the college campus. “While women allude to numerous sexist remarks and behaviors by faculty which derogate the abilities of women as a group, the male respondents claim that individual women profit from their sexual attributes because male instructors go out of their way to be ‘extra friendly’ and helpful to them” (Benson & Thomson, 1982). While other types of sexual harassment exist on campus, researchers Benson and Thomson suggest reports that the experience is nearly equally divided among both genders are incorrect.

It many respects, they suggest the use of sexual harassment has become a replacement for previous laws that restricted access to educational and professional training. With this type of misrecognition on the part of the male and inability to assert their rights on the part of the women, certain male-dominated fields and professions remain essentially closed based upon the unwillingness of women to place themselves in a hostile environment and uncorrected, unrecognized behavior among the men. This unwillingness to confront the hostility is perhaps better seen in the blue-collar skilled workforce.

Although women now make up approximately half of the nation’s workforce overall, including positions in management and professional offices, they remain significantly underrepresented in skilled blue-collar professions. (Padavic & Reskin, 1990). Clearly, organizations need to redirect focus on sexual harassment to include clear definitions of what does or does not constitute harassment as well as provide clear channels of action for victims that both provide easy access and privacy as a means of protecting the victim’s already damaged confidence.

If sexual harassment is to stop in schools, offices and workplaces around the nation, we must recognize that it is an important topic, that it does have serious consequences both for the individuals and the organizations involved and that it needs to stop by providing clearly defined ideas of what sexual harassment is and what victims can do to stop it. Finally, we need to ensure that the victims who report harassment are able to see results rather than ridicule, both to communicate to potential harassers that this behavior is not acceptable as well as to encourage other victims to step forward.

References Benson, Donna J. & Thomson, Gregg E. (February 1982). “Sexual Harassment on a University Campus: The Confluence of Authority Relations, Sexual Interest and Gender Stratification.” Social Problems. Vol. 29, N. 3, pp. 236-51. “Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing and Sexual Harassment in School.” (2001). American Association of University Women. Retrieved April 17, 2011 from < http://www.aauw.org/research/girls_education/hostile.cfm> Padavic, Irene & Reskin, Barbara F. (November 1990).

“Men’s Behavior and Women’s Interest in Blue-Collar Jobs.” Social Problems. Vol. 37, N. 4, pp. 613-28. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (June 27, 2002). “Facts About Sexual Harassment.” Washington D.C.: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.