Verified Document

Sexual Harassment Is A Dangerous Weed Which Term Paper

Sexual harassment is a dangerous weed which needs to be rooted out from our society. This malady threatens our fundamental constitutional basis of freedom and equality for all. Implementing a good sexual harassment policy at the organizational level and strict enforcement of punishments for offenders is the rightful solution to the problem. Sexual harassment has assumed huge proportions and is an omnipresent problem raising its hood in all social and professional domains. Women, being the weaker sex are the most affected by this social evil and all the positive achievements of the women's liberation movement have been spoilt by this malady. Gender discrimination continues to haunt us and at every level and it has cast a doubt on the general notion of America as a nation of liberty and gender equality. The corporate sector is no more a secure place for women, with sexual harassment cases getting revealed one by one leaving us in a state of total shock and disbelief. Let us analyze some general aspects and some specific cases to highlight the enormity of the situation and in the process we will also touch upon some standard strategies to control sexual harassment.

Sexual Harassment (Ubiquitous Phenomenon)

Sexual harassment is not a new problem but one that continues to haunt our society for a long time. The most common setting where sexual harassment is blatantly obvious is the workplace, which is proved by the ever increasing number of sexual harassment cases being reported over the last few years. Almost all walks of life are infested by this malady and even the noble professions like academia and hospice environment are not spared. In fact it is the hospitals where sexual harassment is more prominent. A recent study conducted revealed that around 69% to 85% of nurses have reported to have been subjected to some kind of sexual harassment in their workplace. Another independent study conducted on 188 intensive care nurses revealed that more than 46% of them had undergone sexual harassment in one form or the other and that in almost 82% of the cases the offenders were the physicians. [Anita Hoffman]

Types of Sexual Harassment

The Civil rights act of 1964 clearly states...

The first one is the called the 'Quid pro quo harassment' in which case the employers or other higher authorities exact sexual favors in exchange for career prospects of the employee. Failure to comply with the sexual favors would invariably result in incurring the grudge of the superiors. The other form of harassment is known as the 'Hostile Work Environment' where a questionable sexual conduct creates a hostile and unhealthy working climate. [Kimberly A. Lambert]. This form of sexual harassment can be created by anyone right from the supervisors to the co-workers and even the customers of the company. This type of sexual misbehavior is typically manifest in the form of vulgar jokes and unnecessary physical contact.
Effective Strategies (HR policies)

Creating Awareness

Employers definitely have the key role in ensuring that sexual discrimination does not creep silently and affect the employee morale. The organization must have a well defined policy against sexual harassment. The first and foremost step in this direction would be for the HR department to organize informational sessions that clearly explain sexually harassing behavior. [Juliene Hefter] So an effective strategy to successfully combat sexual harassment would begin with educating employees, supervisors and other professionals about the nature of sexual harassment. The company's sexual harassment policy must be displayed in a conspicuous location. This active role from the human resource professionals would send a strong signal that offenders could not escape with impunity. A well structured grievance procedure will greatly reduce the possibility of sexual harassment from continuing without being noticed. Gathering regular feedback from the employees and immediately addressing and resolving any issues which indicate gender-based discrimination is a vital step in eradicating sexual discrimination from the work place.

Managerial Intervention (Timely Action)

The next important strategy is to follow up action against complaints in a strict manner. Employers must direct a fair handed investigation immediately without any delay. This is…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Juliene Hefter, "Sexual harassment Training for Part time or Seasonal Staff - Tip -Off," July 2003, Accessed on August 10th 2004, at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1145/is_7_38/ai_106226864

Anita Hoffman, Louis Hamlin, 'Perioperative Nurses and Sexual Harassment', Retrieved on August 10th 2004, at http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0FSL/5_76/94538204/p1/article.jhtml?term=

Patricia A Marvel, "Motivational Factors That Keep Women Silent About Sexual Harassment," Retrieved on August 11th 2004 from, http://www.iusb.edu/~journal/1998/Paper8.html

Kimberly A. Lambert, "An Employer's Shield: Prompt And Effective Investigation of Sexual Harassment Charges," Accessed on August 12th 2004, from, http://www.boonesmith.com/anemploy.html
Roy Whitehead, Kenneth Griffin, "The Supreme Court Finally Lays Down The Law on Employer Liability For Supervisor Sexual Harassment" CPA Journal, November 1998, Available online at, http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/1998/1198/Departments/d701198.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Sexual Harassment
Words: 2227 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Sexual harassment is not something that has a sole effect on the accuser and the victim. This type of behavior has an influence on everything around them. Sexual harassment policies are put in practice to make sure there is a safe environment and lessen employer liability. There are approaches that can be performed in order to display the commitment that is from people in high places. With that said, this

Sexual Harassment
Words: 1928 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Sexual Harassment Should a person (employer or employees) be held liable for unintentional sexual harassment? If yes, under what circumstances? If no, under what circumstances? Give examples of particular cases that address both circumstances. Sexual harassment is defined as "any verbal or physical behavior with sexual connotations that brings discomfort or degrades the work environment, where the aggressor takes advantage of his or her position or repeated involvement to impose such behavior

Sexual Harassment
Words: 1071 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a widespread problem and a serious issue not only because of moral and ethical violations but also because of legal repercussions involved. While the issue is serious and attention is being paid to curtail it, there still remain some ambiguities due to which it is not easy to determine what actually constitutes sexual harassment. For one, we must understand that sexual harassment is not

Sexual Harassment
Words: 959 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Sexual Harassment: How I Learned to Drive "Driving is easy. Just remember. Break pedal. Gas pedal. And go." Sara turned the key in the ignition and suddenly the car sprung to life. She couldn't believe it. Was she really driving? All of her life, while living in Saudi Arabia, driving meant sitting in the back seat, being taken somewhere by someone else. Learning to drive was a male rite of passage, like

Sexual Harassment Can Be Legally Defined As
Words: 1673 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Sexual harassment can be legally defined as "verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes" ("sexual harassment," 2012). If a person in authority such as a boss, mentor, or official is found pressurizing a person holding an inferior position with

Sexual Harassment It Is Important to Note
Words: 2133 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Sexual Harassment It is important to note that apart from serving as a centre for economic gains, the workplace also serves as a second home as well as a critical social network. Just like any other social network, the workplace also tends to have a distinctive culture which in some cases could be a field of gender-biased traditional beliefs. It is these gender-biased traditional beliefs that at times expose individuals (typically

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now