Sexual Harrasment

Sexual harassment is a type of sex discrimination. Sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual approaches (including touching, feeling, groping). It can occur between people of the same or different gender. It also occurs in a variety of relationships. Sexual harassment usually happens because of inequality of power, such as between graduate teaching assistants and undergraduates, lectures and students, especially a supervisor and a subordinate. Sexual harassment has two forms, namely quid pro quo sexual harassment and hostile environment sexual harassment. In the 1990s, the United States experienced the beginning of a sexual harassment revolution, as the number of cases increased (by HR World Editors). Sexual harassment brings many disadvantages, especially for companies. Although surveys publicized the perils of sexual harassment, many businesses in the United States have not yet solved these problems. Moreover, recent new reports indicate that sexual harassment has reached the highest levels of management. (1) The businesses know that it existed but they do not know what to do about it. That is a reason why sexual harassment continues to happen in the workplace. To solve these problems, companies need to understand the sexual harassment clearly. Hence, in my essay, I mainly discuss about two categories of sexual harassment: sexual coercion and sexual annoyance. Moreover, I comment about bad effect of sexual harassment on victims and companies. Sexual harassment is not new problem. It existed for a long time ago but the American court systems did not convict the first sexual harassment case (in 1976) until 1991, it was convicted. (Justice Clarence Thomas was accused because of using inappropriate language and sexual harassment Anita Hill - female colleagues when Thomas and Anita Hill work together)(2). In 1980, the federal government surveyed all employees and found that 42% of women stated they had experienced about sexual harassment (and 15% of men.)