Reach Out And Touch Someone...Or Not

3 Pages 861 Words

The issue of sexual harassment is not a new one. It has existed since the beginning of time; however, it has not gained notice until recently. In fact, women did not “start winning sexual harassment lawsuits until the mid 1970s” and the “first sexual harassment lawsuit to reach the Supreme Court was not decided until 1986” (Brown 43). The exact reasons for this phenomenon is not known but a better understanding of what sexual harassment encompasses can be gained by looking at the people it affects, defining what it is, when it occurs, where it happens, and why
it does take place. To begin with, sexual harassment is “pervasive” occurring “in all social and
economic classes” and that no person is immune (Stark 50). For example, Anita Hill, a Yale educated African American law professor, announced that she faced sexual harassment at the hands of Supreme Court judge nominee Clarence Thomas. In contrast to Hill’s higher socioeconomic status, Sheila Bensen, a 45 year old self employed Caucasian woman, was also a victim of sexual harassment (Benson 31). Nor does sexual harassment occur only among women contrary to popular belief (Schultz par.12). For example, in the Goluszek v. Smith case, a male “electronic maintenance mechanic” was belittled and cast out by his fellow workers. They “mocked him for not having a wife” and “used gender based images to assault his competence” (Schultz par. 13). Thus, it quite safe to say people of “all ages, classes, shapes, colors, and sizes” are possible targets of sexual harassment (Morris 32).


What exactly is the definition of sexual harassment? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines it according to the guidelines of “three basic forms: (1.) quid pro quid, (2.) retaliation, and (3.) hostile environment. ...Quid pro quid is Latin for ‘what for what’ “ (Stark 55). It is typically “a situation where a supervisor penalizes a subor...