One of the biggest problems with sexual harassment is that it is often goes unnoticed. The victims of sexual harassment do not always realize what's happening to them until things get out of control. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a real and widespread issue that must be dealt with effectively. Sexual harassment involves unwanted and unwarranted sexual contact in any kind, it can occur to anyone of any race, gender, or sexual orientation. The purpose of my Research Paper is to bring awareness to this injustice treatment. I hope to address the elements of how to prevent this unacceptable and inappropriate behavior that will assist people in the workforce in making better decisions in keeping themselves and others safe of this issue.
Obviously, it is a very natural thing for men and women to be attracted to each other in sexual ways. Men, more than women, have been historically known to be far more aggressive in their emotions toward women sexually and it varies from each woman as to how these aggressive emotions make them feel. Approaches such as whistling, butt pinching and glaring are the types of things some men do to women in an attempt to show they are sexually attracted to them. These types of approaches can be attempted just about anywhere; the beach, the mall, in night clubs, walking down the street, or even in their place of employment. Where should the line be drawn as to where these approaches are appropriate and what can a woman do to protect herself from feeling uncomfortable while trying to make a living? Women experiencing this type of treatment is a real problem in the workplace today and has been for many years.
In the workplace, sexual harassment or assault can cause inability to accomplish goals and missions. According to data compiled by Equal Rights Advocates, a women’s law center in the U.S., “90 to 95% of sexually harassed women suffer from some debilitating stress reaction, including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self-esteem and sexual dysfunction. In addition, victims of sexual harassment lose $4.4 million dollars in wages and 973,000 hours in unpaid leave each year in the United States.” This shows how heavily sexucal harassment can efffect a victim’s employment productivity in a workplace.
The other issue with sexual harassment situations is the person is afraid to speak up. The many problems include people criticizing you for being a “snitch”, being afraid of being cast out from the work community, or being afraid of your harasser retaliating against you. Whether the victim knows it or not, when you don’t speak up about a particular issue you are contributing to the problem. It is giving a message to the work community and workers everywhere that inappropriate behavior is acceptable. In order for a problem to be resolved you must speak upon it, alert someone of higher authority and take on all possible procedures that you are told to.
There are many incidents in a workplace involving a victim and a harasser but what truly makes someone want to harass someone? According to Psychology Today, “ Sexual harassment is about men establishing dominance over women. Issues of entitlement, power, and control have gone unchecked for far too long…Dominance, not desire , is on the mind of men who sexually harass women. They try to minimize their inappropriate behavior and. Act like it’s completely normal and acceptable. The victim is placed in an intimidating lose-lose situation without any power over the advances.” Men seek to embody dominance due to their insecurities which force them to try to over power what they believe to be a weakness in women.
The most effective way to fight against sexual harassment is by prevention. Harassment does not just go away on its own, it takes accountability, responsibility and standards.According to the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commision, “Prevention is the best tool to eliminate harassment in the workplace. Employers are encouraged to take appropriate steps to prevent and correct unlawful harassment. They should clearly communicate to employees that unwelcome harassing conduct will not be tolerated. They can do this by establishing an effective complaint or grievance process, providing anti-harassment training to their managers and employees, and taking immediate and appropriate action when an employee complains.” These provide us with the steps and safety procedures that should be taken in a workplace, among employees and administration in order to continue to be in a safe environment.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a huge problem in recent history. It can happen to anyone and it can happen everywhere. It can affect all types of races, gender and age.