Sexual Harassment
... or any other traditionally male job. Typical victims of harassment are young, single, college-educated, member of a minority racial or ethnic group (if male), in a trainee position (or office/ clerical position if male), or have an immediate supervisor of the opposite sex. It is very helpful for the victim to inform the harasser directly that the conduct is unwelcome and must stop. The victim should use any employer complaint mechanism or grievance system available. Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment. Employers, Schools and Agencies are encouraged to take steps necessary to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. They should clearly communicate to employees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. They can do so by providing sexual harassment training to their employees and by establishing an effective complaint or grievance process and taking immediate and appropriate action when an employee complains. It is also unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on sex or for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation. On-the-job sexual harassment is not a recent problem, although legal liability for it is. The American court system did not decide that first sexual harassment case under Title VII until 1976. Moreover, the wider public appears not to have fully appreciated the problem’s scope until 1991, when the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Anita Hill’s charges against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. In 1976, the same year that the District Court of the District of Columbia resolved the first Title VII sexual harassment case, a Redbook magazine poll found that nine out of then women said they had been subjected to unwanted sexual advances at work. In 1980, the federal government surveyed its own employees and found that forty-two percent of women stated they had experienced some form of work-related sexual harassment. According to Working Woman Magazine, a typical Fortune 500 corporation can expect to lose $6.7 million, in 1988 dollars, annually. Losses can result from absenteeism, lower productivity, increased health-care costs, poor morale, and employee turnover. These losses do not include litigation costs or court-awarded damages. Also not included is damage to a company’s image. Bad press, which often accompanies such cases, can cost a business not only its reputation but also its customers and revenues. A recent study stated that despite a significant increase in educating students about sexual harassment at least 25% of the students surveyed reported that they were frequently being sexually harassed. The impact on these children is often significant. Social withdrawal, difficulty concentrating on schoolwork, reduced self-esteem, and, sometimes, school avoidance is potential effects. While the victims are most often female, it is likely that the gender difference is much less than reported, especially among teens, because boys typically underreport being victims of anything. The complexities in a crisis like this operate on three levels. Among the students, there is the fear and embarrassment of “ratting” on your classmates. Even the victims may not be able to support each other in this process, with some in denial or minimizing what has happened while others are enraged and seekin...