Sexual Harassment Paper 
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Why Sexual Harassment in the Workplace is Unethical
Stephanie Curtis Athens State University
Organizational Communication
Bonnie Strilecky
October 2014
Where you have people working for you or with you, there is always conflict in the work place. Sexual harassment is one of those conflicts that is logically and ethically wrong and easily preventable and yet, 90% of all the Fortune 500 companies have had a sexual harassment claim or payout (Penrod & Fusilier, 2010). Sexual harassment is something that all companies need to worry about.
Sexual harassment is legally defined as unwanted conduct, not necessarily sexual touching or groping, it is also defined as obscene gestures and unwanted conduct around the work place. Sexual harassment can happen to any gender by any gender, it is not directly gendered towards men harassing women; however, it is the most common combination. This can be called the power-threat model- "it suggests that women who threaten men’s dominance are the most frequent targets" (McLaughlin, Uggen & Blackstone, 2012). Women who hold higher positions are also more likely to experience this type of harassment more than women who are in lower positions. It is often questioned as to how she obtained that position, rather than to just assume she got there by her smarts and experience.
Sexual harassment laws were first recognized in 1986 with Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson. It said that "sexual harassment was a form of discrimination on the basis of sex, since it affects the terms and conditions of employment" (Penrod & Fusilier, 2010) This includes “quid pro quo”; or “this for that”; in the work place, like a promotion for favors. Since this case was the first one of its kind, it wasn’t perfect. There were five elements in which the harassment had to fit for it to be classified as sexual harassment and the person doing so would be reprimanded: the victim had to be a protected class, the
Why Sexual Harassment in the Workplace is Unethical
Stephanie Curtis Athens State University
Organizational Communication
Bonnie Strilecky
October 2014
Where you have people working for you or with you, there is always conflict in the work place. Sexual harassment is one of those conflicts that is logically and ethically wrong and easily preventable and yet, 90% of all the Fortune 500 companies have had a sexual harassment claim or payout (Penrod & Fusilier, 2010). Sexual harassment is something that all companies need to worry about.
Sexual harassment is legally defined as unwanted conduct, not necessarily sexual touching or groping, it is also defined as obscene gestures and unwanted conduct around the work place. Sexual harassment can happen to any gender by any gender, it is not directly gendered towards men harassing women; however, it is the most common combination. This can be called the power-threat model- "it suggests that women who threaten men’s dominance are the most frequent targets" (McLaughlin, Uggen & Blackstone, 2012). Women who hold higher positions are also more likely to experience this type of harassment more than women who are in lower positions. It is often questioned as to how she obtained that position, rather than to just assume she got there by her smarts and experience.
Sexual harassment laws were first recognized in 1986 with Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson. It said that "sexual harassment was a form of discrimination on the basis of sex, since it affects the terms and conditions of employment" (Penrod & Fusilier, 2010) This includes “quid pro quo”; or “this for that”; in the work place, like a promotion for favors. Since this case was the first one of its kind, it wasn’t perfect. There were five elements in which the harassment had to fit for it to be classified as sexual harassment and the person doing so would be reprimanded: the victim had to be a protected class, the
References: Guerin, L. (2012, August 1). Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/preventing-sexual-harassment-workplace-29851.html McLaughlin, H., Uggen, C., & Blackstone, A. (2012). Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority and the Paradox of Power. American Sociological Review, 77(4), 625-647. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from EBSCO Host., 151-167. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from EBSCO Host. Oliveira, I., & Ambrosio, V. (2013). Sexual Harassment in the Hotel Housekeeping Department. International Journal of Management Cases, 15(4), 180-192. Retrieved October 7, 2014, from EBSCO Host. Penrod, C., & Fusilier, M. (2011). Improving Sexual Harassment Protections: An Examination of the Legal Compliance of U.S. University Sexual Harassment Policies. Workplace Rights,15(2) Szostek, J., & Hobson, C. (2012). EEOC Sexual Harassment Settlements: An Empirical Analysis.38(1). Retrieved October 23, 2014, from eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom.index.cfm