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Sexual Harassment Behaviors

One of the first difficulties to be confronted when talking about the issue of sexual harassment is the problem of definition. It is important to make a distinction between what is illegal behavior, behavior legally defined as sexual harassment, and what is undesirable behavior in the workplace. The latter may be behaviors that make people uncomfortable, but are not forbidden by law.

Risser (1999) makes the important point that it is necessary for companies and employees to decide for themselves what kind of workplace environment that they want, within legal boundaries. She noted that many behaviors may make people uncomfortable, but not be illegal or in violation or employer policy. In that case, employees need to learn how to speak up and communicate their boundaries, without letting the situation deteriorate.

Of course, behaviors that begin as questionable actions or comments can lead toward sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is also no longer confined to workplace situations. It is considered one aspect of violence against women, and it can be invoked to justify lawsuits in other arenas. For example, the

Supreme Court most recently ruled in May that school districts, colleges, and universities can be sued for damages by students who are the victims of peer sexual harassment. In other words, schools need to police the behavior of students, as well as of staff in thinking about sexual harassment. The operate phrase in this ruling is that schools could, and would, be held liable if they were "deliberately" indifferent to known instances of student-on-student sexual harassment. The judges also provided the harassment has to be "so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it can be said to deprive the victims of access to an education" (Simpson,1999).

In looking at the definition of sexual harassment in the workplace, there are some differences. The first condition defined as sexual harassment is ...

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Sexual Harassment Behaviors. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 20:36, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1711437.html