What Is Sexual Harassment?

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What is Sexual Harassment?


Abstract: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 decided that sexual harassment was a form of sexual discrimination. Unwelcome sexual advances, request from sexual favors, and other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature can be considered sexual harassment when these advances are rejected or these acts affects the individual’s employment. In this paper we will talk about what is considered sexual harassment and what to do if accused of sexually harassing an individual.
The legal definition of sexual harassment is, unwelcome sexual advances, request for favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment (Wyatt, 2000, para 3).
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited too the following. The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim of sexual harassment does not have to be of the opposite sex. The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, agent of the employer, an individual from a different area, or a non-employee. The victim does not have to be the person harassed, but could be anyone affected by the offensive behavior. Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim. The harasser’s behavior has to be unwelcome.
There are two types of sexual harassment, “quid pro quo” and “hostile environment”. These two types can occur together, but do not have to. In sexual harassment the individual may be harmed emotionally, mentally, and even physically (Artis, 2003, para 1). Hostile environment is the most common type of sexual harassment. This type of harassment occurs when it unreason...