Sexual assault reports have increased nearly 10% since 2016, a record high. Although it is hard to pinpoint a specific cause of the increased reports, studies have shown that the increased willingness of a victim to come forward, the male-dominated workplace, and a culture that has allowed sexual harassment to thrive may contribute to the rise in numbers.
The Willingness of Victims to Report
The increased willingness of a victim to come forward is the most concrete evidence for the annual rise in sexual assault reports. The introduction of sexual assault and harassment prevention programs, such as SHARP, has encouraged victims to come forward by providing safe and private avenues to file reports. Victims are now taken more seriously about their claims, protected from reprisal, and moved from their current units if needed. Furthermore, increased reporting numbers do not necessarily mean that sexual assaults have increased. Dr. Elizabeth Van Winkle, the Pentagon’s principal director for force resiliency, stated, “Over the last decade, the department has made progress, fewer service members experience sexual assault, and more service members than ever are making the courageous decision to report their experiences and to receive restorative require.”
Another possible reason for the continuously increasing number of sexual assault reports is the male-dominated workplace. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9% are male. In the Army, females make up only 14% of the enlisted force. The low female-to-male ratio has made females extremely vulnerable to sexual assault. Overseas especially, men tend to turn to, and sometimes prey upon, the few females who are in their respective units.
Lastly, a culture that has allowed sexual harassment to thrive may contribute to high sexual assault rates. In the Army, many cultural norms were created long before females became a major part of the Army’s workforce. For example, it is a norm among male soldiers to talk about sex, make dirty jokes, and talk inappropriately about women. Additionally, when soldiers are close to their chain of command, it is harder to obtain a conviction. A victim’s commanding officer has the ability to intervene, stop an investigation, reduce a sentence, or even set aside a conviction. A combination of inappropriate behavior, combined with protection from superiors, has allowed sexual harassment and assault to thrive and grow.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sexual assault is a major problem in the United States military. This form of conduct diminishes the unit’s comradery and could hinder our mission. Although programs have been established to combat sexual assault, reporting numbers continue to increase. Theories for this include the increased willingness of victims to file reports, the male-dominated society, and a culture that has allowed sexual assaults to go unnoticed, unreported, and thrive. Programs that have been implemented, such as our SHARP program, do show to assist in the decreasing of sexual assault reports, but only time will tell if it is enough.
References
“The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq” by Helen Benedict
“The Invisible War: What Every Woman Should Know About the Military and Sexual Assault” by Helen Benedict
Sexual harassment a gross violation of women’s right to equality and dignity. It is any unwanted sexual attention a women experiences like leering, pinching, patting, repeated comments, subtle suggestions of a sexual nature and pressure of dates. It constitutes a gross violation of women’s right to equality and dignity. On the other hand stalking is defined as a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment made against the expressed wishes of another individual, which causes that individual to feel emotional distress including fear, harassment, intimidation or apprehension.
The legal definition of stalking is defined primarily by state statutes. However, virtually any unwanted contract between a stalker and their victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear can generally be referred to as stalking. Some authorities argue that the definition of hostile-environment sexual harassment is too vague, while others argue that a broad definition is necessary to protect victims of sexual harassment.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
STALKING
It is defined as a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment made against the expressed wishes of another individual, which causes that individual to feel emotional distress including fear, harassment, intimidation or apprehension.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment. Sexual harassment, in all its configurations, is not easy to define. Other than conduct that involves physical violence, it is, to some extent, in the eye of the beholder, for equal employment opportunity.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Each research work is based on some problems. Before starting a research work it is essential to fix the problem. The research problem is based on “prevention of stalking and sexual harassment”. It can be consist of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors to clinch sales deals, the display of sexually offensive posters, cartoons or drawings or any other form of verbal or physical behavior that the recipient regards as unwelcome or embarrassing.
Women play a pivotal role to national development considering their complementary economic support, domestic activities and economic support, domestic activities and emotional attributes which greatly enhances the economic fortunes of the family, society and the nation.
Thus, when faced with sexual harassment it does not only affect their social and psychologist wellbeing but also threaten their level of productivity both within and outside the organizational setting. Consequently, sexual harassment in the educational institution and work places occurs.
The last two decades or so have engendered considered discussion throughout much of the world about issues of sexual harassment in the workplace. They have also witnessed legal and other action initiated by local and international organizations as the European communities, the ILO, FAO, the World Bank and the United Nations. It is not that the problem is new, only that it has been exacerbated and made more visible as increasing number of women entered the educational institute and the workplace.
Outside of the work environment, only the most egregious forms of sexual harassment acts of physical aggression, including appearing dealt with public policy, ordinarily via the criminal court, where an employment relationship is concerned. However, the issue is seen as integral to concerns about discrimination, since a person is targeted for harassment because of her or his gender.
As a result, sexual harassment is tied to policies and to relevant law designed to bar discrimination on the basis of sex. Further, sexual harassment can be one time occurrence of a serious nature or a behavioral pattern experience over an extended period.
CENTRAL FOCUS OF THE STUDY
The central focus of the study is the actual percentage of the students who sexually harassed in University of Rajshahi. In this study, the researcher tried to focus on the number of the harassed students and contribution of the authority. It also included the cause of their stalking and harassment, the physical and mental conditions for this harassment. These are the main focus of the study.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
As far as researcher have gone through, there has not been any research conducted specifically the emerging threats of stalking and sexual harassment and its abuses at University of Rajshahi. However, findings of the studies, the researcher have found to be concerned with the present study in one way or another are summarized below:
T.A. Loeffler said in his book “Sexual Harassment and Experiential Education Programs: A Closer Look” that When sexual harassment, occurs, it exposes participants and staff to increased physical and emotional risks. It is imperative that experiential education programs take an active stance in preventing and interrupting sexual harassment. Experiential education programs need to have a sexual harassment policy which is distributed to all staff and students.
Luise I. Gendes in his book “Sexual Harassment” said Although the public has recognized sexual harassment as a serious issue, there is still no widely agreed upon definition of the concept. Anne Fischer, who answers reader questions about conduct in the workplace in her “Ask Annie” column in Fortune magazine, revealed that after publishing one letter from a reader who was confused about sexual harassment, she received “a torrent of e-mails pretty clearly demonstrating that on this subject, lots of folks are utterly clueless.”
On 15.8.2008, ‘The Daily Star’ in its weekly magazine stated that in the absence of any formal structure of complaint hearing, many Bangladeshi students keep incidents of sexual harassment to themselves. Students fear having their identities exposed to social stigma and in the case of a teacher student relationship the student is usually too aware of the power advantage the teacher has over her.
Revab B. Siegel said in his book “A Short Story of Sexual Harassment” it is in that spirit that I offer the following short history of sexual harassment, as a prelude to a much larger conversation, and as a provocation of sorts: an invitation to meditate, yet again, on what we mean when we say that a practice discriminates ‘on the basis of sex.’
Mike Deblieux in this book “Stopping Sexual Harassment Before it Starts” expressed that sexual harassment is one of the most complex workplace issues of our time. It is at once a legal issue, an emotional issue, a civil rights issue, and a very personal issue. It can be both easy to define and impossible to define. It can result from innocent actions or from criminal behavior.
BACKGROUND OF PREVENTION OF STALKING AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment has its roots in patriarchy and its attendant perception that men are superior to women and that some forms of violence against women are acceptable. One of these is workplace or educational institution sexual harassment, which views various forms of such harassment, as harmless and trivial. Often, it is excused as ‘natural’ male behavior or ‘harmless flirtation’ which women enjoy. Contrary to these perceptions, it causes serious harm and also is a strong manifestation of sex discrimination at the workplace. Not only is it an infringement of the fundamental rights of women, under Article 28(2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh “Women shall have equal right with men in all spheres of the state and of public life.”
Though sexual harassment at the work place has assumed serious proportions, women do not report matter to the concerned authorities in most cases due to fear of reprisal from the harasser, losing one’s livelihood, being stigmatized or losing professional standing and personal reputation.
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROBLEM BY AUTHORITY
Considering the significance of social problem from sexual harassment, Advocate Salma Ali on behalf of BNWLA as a petitioner filed public interest litigation at the High Court on 7th August 2008, asking for a guideline to prevent sexual harassment and abuse in educational institutions and workplace. The writ petition no. 5916/2008. On 14th May 2009 the High Court bench declared judgment to prevent sexual abuse of women at the office, educational institution and all types of governmental, non-governmental, semi-governmental and any other organization.
DRAW BACKS OF THE EXISTING SITUATION AT UNIVERSITY OF RAJSHAHI
The concerned authority may suspend temporarily the accused person and in case of students, may prevent them from attending their classes on the receipt of the recommendation of the complaints committee. If the accused is found guilty of sexual harassment, the concerned authority shall treat it as misconduct and take proper action according to the disciplinary rules of all work places and educational institutions in both public and private sectors within 30(thirty) days or shall refer to the appropriate court or tribunal if the act complained of constitutes an offence under any penal law.
RECOMMENDATION
The most effective weapon against sexual harassment is prevention. Harassment does not disappear on its own. Provide education and information about harassment to all on the regular basis. The circulation of information, open communication and guidance is of particular importance in removing the taboo of silence which often surrounds cases of sexual harassment.
In order to deter and eliminate sexual harassment and torture, and create a safe environment for work and education and all workplaces and authorities of all educational institutions will attach prime importance to the publicity and publication against sexual harassment and gender discrimination. There must be sufficient orientation before the formal classes start for a new session in education institutions, and monthly, half yearly orientation in all workplaces and institutions. To create awareness regarding fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution.
CONCLUSION
Sexual harassment is one of the most complex issues of our time. It not only causes disastrous psychological and physical hardships to the victims, but also corresponding negative impact on the performance and reputation of the organization.
Across the globe today, workplace sexual harassment is increasingly understood as a violation of women’s rights and a form of violence against women. Indeed, the social construct of male privileges in society continues to be used to justify violence against women in the private and public sphere. In essence, sexual harassment is a mirror reflecting male power over women that sustains patriarchal relations. In a society where violence against women, both subtle and direct, is borne out of the patriarchal values, women are forced to conform to traditional gender roles. These patriarchal values and attitudes of both women and men pose the greatest challenge in resolution and prevention of sexual harassment. Workplace sexual harassment, like other forms of violence, is not harmless. It involves serious health, human, economic and social costs, which manifest themselves in the overall development indices of a nation.
Sexual harassment a gross violation of women’s right to equality and dignity. It is any unwanted sexual attention a women experiences like leering, pinching, patting, repeated comments, subtle suggestions of a sexual nature and pressure of dates. It constitutes a gross violation of women’s right to equality and dignity. On the other hand stalking is defined as a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment made against the expressed wishes of another individual, which causes that individual to feel emotional distress including fear, harassment, intimidation or apprehension.
The legal definition of stalking is defined primarily by state statutes. However, virtually any unwanted contract between a stalker and their victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear can generally be referred to as stalking. Some authorities argue that the definition of hostile-environment sexual harassment is too vague, while others argue that a broad definition is necessary to protect victims of sexual harassment.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
STALKING
It is defined as a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment made against the expressed wishes of another individual, which causes that individual to feel emotional distress including fear, harassment, intimidation or apprehension.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment. Sexual harassment, in all its configurations, is not easy to define. Other than conduct that involves physical violence, it is, to some extent, in the eye of the beholder, for equal employment opportunity.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Each research work is based on some problems. Before starting a research work it is essential to fix the problem. The research problem is based on “prevention of stalking and sexual harassment”. It can be consist of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors to clinch sales deals, the display of sexually offensive posters, cartoons or drawings or any other form of verbal or physical behavior that the recipient regards as unwelcome or embarrassing.
Women play a pivotal role to national development considering their complementary economic support, domestic activities and economic support, domestic activities and emotional attributes which greatly enhances the economic fortunes of the family, society and the nation.
Thus, when faced with sexual harassment it does not only affect their social and psychologist wellbeing but also threaten their level of productivity both within and outside the organizational setting. Consequently, sexual harassment in the educational institution and work places occurs.
The last two decades or so have engendered considered discussion throughout much of the world about issues of sexual harassment in the workplace. They have also witnessed legal and other action initiated by local and international organizations as the European communities, the ILO, FAO, the World Bank and the United Nations. It is not that the problem is new, only that it has been exacerbated and made more visible as increasing number of women entered the educational institute and the workplace.
Outside of the work environment, only the most egregious forms of sexual harassment acts of physical aggression, including appearing dealt with public policy, ordinarily via the criminal court, where an employment relationship is concerned. However, the issue is seen as integral to concerns about discrimination, since a person is targeted for harassment because of her or his gender.
As a result, sexual harassment is tied to policies and to relevant law designed to bar discrimination on the basis of sex. Further, sexual harassment can be one time occurrence of a serious nature or a behavioral pattern experience over an extended period.
CENTRAL FOCUS OF THE STUDY
The central focus of the study is the actual percentage of the students who sexually harassed in University of Rajshahi. In this study, the researcher tried to focus on the number of the harassed students and contribution of the authority. It also included the cause of their stalking and harassment, the physical and mental conditions for this harassment. These are the main focus of the study.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
As far as researcher have gone through, there has not been any research conducted specifically the emerging threats of stalking and sexual harassment and its abuses at University of Rajshahi. However, findings of the studies, the researcher have found to be concerned with the present study in one way or another are summarized below:
T.A. Loeffler said in his book “Sexual Harassment and Experiential Education Programs: A Closer Look” that When sexual harassment, occurs, it exposes participants and staff to increased physical and emotional risks. It is imperative that experiential education programs take an active stance in preventing and interrupting sexual harassment. Experiential education programs need to have a sexual harassment policy which is distributed to all staff and students.
Luise I. Gendes in his book “Sexual Harassment” said Although the public has recognized sexual harassment as a serious issue, there is still no widely agreed upon definition of the concept. Anne Fischer, who answers reader questions about conduct in the workplace in her “Ask Annie” column in Fortune magazine, revealed that after publishing one letter from a reader who was confused about sexual harassment, she received “a torrent of e-mails pretty clearly demonstrating that on this subject, lots of folks are utterly clueless.”
On 15.8.2008, ‘The Daily Star’ in its weekly magazine stated that in the absence of any formal structure of complaint hearing, many Bangladeshi students keep incidents of sexual harassment to themselves. Students fear having their identities exposed to social stigma and in the case of a teacher student relationship the student is usually too aware of the power advantage the teacher has over her.
Revab B. Siegel said in his book “A Short Story of Sexual Harassment” it is in that spirit that I offer the following short history of sexual harassment, as a prelude to a much larger conversation, and as a provocation of sorts: an invitation to meditate, yet again, on what we mean when we say that a practice discriminates ‘on the basis of sex.’
Mike Deblieux in this book “Stopping Sexual Harassment Before it Starts” expressed that sexual harassment is one of the most complex workplace issues of our time. It is at once a legal issue, an emotional issue, a civil rights issue, and a very personal issue. It can be both easy to define and impossible to define. It can result from innocent actions or from criminal behavior.
BACKGROUND OF PREVENTION OF STALKING AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment has its roots in patriarchy and its attendant perception that men are superior to women and that some forms of violence against women are acceptable. One of these is workplace or educational institution sexual harassment, which views various forms of such harassment, as harmless and trivial. Often, it is excused as ‘natural’ male behavior or ‘harmless flirtation’ which women enjoy. Contrary to these perceptions, it causes serious harm and also is a strong manifestation of sex discrimination at the workplace. Not only is it an infringement of the fundamental rights of women, under Article 28(2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh “Women shall have equal right with men in all spheres of the state and of public life.”
Though sexual harassment at the work place has assumed serious proportions, women do not report matter to the concerned authorities in most cases due to fear of reprisal from the harasser, losing one’s livelihood, being stigmatized or losing professional standing and personal reputation.
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROBLEM BY AUTHORITY
Considering the significance of social problem from sexual harassment, Advocate Salma Ali on behalf of BNWLA as a petitioner filed public interest litigation at the High Court on 7th August 2008, asking for a guideline to prevent sexual harassment and abuse in educational institutions and workplace. The writ petition no. 5916/2008. On 14th May 2009 the High Court bench declared judgment to prevent sexual abuse of women at the office, educational institution and all types of governmental, non-governmental, semi-governmental and any other organization.
DRAW BACKS OF THE EXISTING SITUATION AT UNIVERSITY OF RAJSHAHI
The concerned authority may suspend temporarily the accused person and in case of students, may prevent them from attending their classes on the receipt of the recommendation of the complaints committee. If the accused is found guilty of sexual harassment, the concerned authority shall treat it as misconduct and take proper action according to the disciplinary rules of all work places and educational institutions in both public and private sectors within 30(thirty) days or shall refer to the appropriate court or tribunal if the act complained of constitutes an offence under any penal law.
RECOMMENDATION
The most effective weapon against sexual harassment is prevention. Harassment does not disappear on its own. Provide education and information about harassment to all on the regular basis. The circulation of information, open communication and guidance is of particular importance in removing the taboo of silence which often surrounds cases of sexual harassment.
In order to deter and eliminate sexual harassment and torture, and create a safe environment for work and education and all workplaces and authorities of all educational institutions will attach prime importance to the publicity and publication against sexual harassment and gender discrimination. There must be sufficient orientation before the formal classes start for a new session in education institutions, and monthly, half yearly orientation in all workplaces and institutions. To create awareness regarding fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution.
CONCLUSION
Sexual harassment is one of the most complex issues of our time. It not only causes disastrous psychological and physical hardships to the victims, but also corresponding negative impact on the performance and reputation of the organization.
Across the globe today, workplace sexual harassment is increasingly understood as a violation of women’s rights and a form of violence against women. Indeed, the social construct of male privileges in society continues to be used to justify violence against women in the private and public sphere. In essence, sexual harassment is a mirror reflecting male power over women that sustains patriarchal relations. In a society where violence against women, both subtle and direct, is borne out of the patriarchal values, women are forced to conform to traditional gender roles. These patriarchal values and attitudes of both women and men pose the greatest challenge in resolution and prevention of sexual harassment. Workplace sexual harassment, like other forms of violence, is not harmless. It involves serious health, human, economic and social costs, which manifest themselves in the overall development indices of a nation.
Uber is a transportation company established in 2009. Uber provides transportation services in many countries around the world like the United States, Bratina, Paris, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Uber communicates with customers by an app that is available on both iTunes and Android phones. Of course, since it is a huge company mistake will happen. The San Francisco company faced many problems like, they have to pay taxes, the incredible risks that could happen to the drivers, and unethical behaviors by the riders and the drivers. and We are going to discuss one sexual harassment case, but first, there are some important things everyone should do when using uber to prevent such problems. Respect is one of the ethical policies that Uber company follows, it includes treating the riders and drivers with respect as you wish to be treated. Always try to be on time for your ride and do not make the rider or the driver wait, because nobody likes to wait. It’s common courtesy not to shout, swear or slam the car door. And by tidying up after yourself, whether it’s taking your trash home or cleaning up a spilled drink you’ll keep the car in good condition and ensure the next person has a pleasant ride, too. Most important of all, remember that when you use Uber you will meet people who may look different or think differently from you. Please respect those differences. We want everyone to feel welcome when they use Uber. Second, in our life, we all need some personal space. It is likable to be calm and quiet in the car, this does not mean not to talk, but to avoid distrusting the driver. please don’t comment on someone’s appearance or ask personal questions. As a passenger, if you need to make a phone call, keep your voice down to avoid disturbing your driver or other riders. Lately, whether you are a rider or driver, please rate your journey at the end of the trip, to let the company knows if anything bad happened to you by the driver. Honest feedback helps ensure that everyone is accountable for their behavior. This accountability creates a respectful, safe environment for both riders and drivers. And if something happens during a ride, whether it’s a traffic accident or an argument make sure to report it by tapping “Help” in the app so that our customer support team can follow up.
Uber’s vision is to make all its riders happy and safe. if a sexual assault is reported to Uber, it’s the company’s policy to immediately block the alleged perpetrator from the application and begin an investigation. Uber has a team of former law enforcement officers in place to handle such allegations, many of whom assist police 24/7 when reports come in through the app. Uber announced the policy change this month, saying it will no longer force riders who make claims of assault or harassment into private arbitration, a common practice that has come under intense scrutiny across the United States. Like many companies, Uber’s terms of service included a clause that waives a rider’s constitutional right to challenge Uber in court, instead of bringing them before a third-party arbitrator that the company pays.
Uber’s general message is to afford cars for everyone to get to their distinctions. Uber said it would allow US riders and drivers to file allegations of rape, sexual assault, and harassment in courts and mediation instead of being locked into arbitration, a private process that often results in confidentiality agreements.
Uber’s goal is to create a workplace that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of the cities they serve where everyone can be their authentic self, and where that authenticity is celebrated as a strength. By creating an environment where people from every background can thrive, they promise to make Uber a better company for their employees and customers. Moreover, Riders will soon have a dedicated place in the app where they can learn about key safety information, including tips built in partnership with law enforcement, driver screening processes, insurance protections, and community guidelines. Riders will be able to designate up to five friends and family members as Trusted Contacts and be prompted to share trip details with them during every ride. This makes it easier than ever to share your trip, so loved ones can follow along and know when you’ve arrived. Prefer to share your trip during evening rides only? Night time-sharing will be an option. They will update the app with safety in mind, locating all things safety in one central place and making it accessible directly from the home screen during a trip. Existing features like Share My Trip will be easier to find and we’ll add new ones.
Ethics concern an individual’s moral judgments about right and wrong. Uber’s ethics decisions taken within an organization may be made by individuals or groups, but whoever makes them will be influenced by the culture of the company. The decision to behave ethically is a moral one; employees must decide what they think is the right course of action. This may involve rejecting the route that would lead to the biggest short-term profit. Uber’s ethical behavior and corporate social responsibility can bring significant benefits to a business. For example, ethics must attract customers’ attention to boost benefits and profits, make employees loyal and do not want to leave the company, attracting more employees to apply for working in the company, attract investors to invest in the company. Knowing that the company they deal with has stated their morals and made a promise to work in an ethical and responsible manner allows investors’ peace of mind that their money is being used in a way that arranges with their own moral standing. When working for a company with strong business ethics, employees are comfortable in the knowledge that they are not by their own action allowing unethical practices to continue. Customers are at ease buying products or services from a company they know to source their materials and labor in an ethical and responsible way. More and more, Reputation is one of a company’s most important assets, and one of the most difficult to rebuild should it be lost. Maintaining the promises, it has made is crucial to maintaining that reputation.
The unethical case that broke Uber’s ethics terms is that a former engineer at Uber sued the company on Monday, claiming that co-workers sexually harassed her during her time at the ride-hailing service and that its human resources department failed to act on her complaints. Ms. Arenado said many of her complaints went ignored. She said that human resources did not investigate her claim and that, a few months later, the same male engineer told other groups of people in the company that Ms. Arenado is a bad person and she had gotten a job at Uber only because she knows someone in the company. The engineer was eventually fired after she complained again, according to the lawsuit. Another male senior software engineer harassed her then made repeated sexual advances toward her, telling her that she was “so cute” and that he wanted to “take her home,” the suit says. On another occasion, it says, male co-workers commented on her physical appearance. Each time Arenado raised concerns regarding unlawful conduct, she was met with Uber’s entrenched disregard for the rights of its women employees and a refusal to take effective steps to prevent harassment,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco. A hearing to make final approval of the settlement is due to be heard by a California court in November. The harassment and discrimination claims are among a string of issues that Uber’s management has faced in the past year. While some of the company’s issues have been resolved, they include losing its license to operate in London and a lawsuit in the US filed by a woman who accused Uber executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after she was raped by a driver in India. As a result, under mounting pressure, Uber announced on Tuesday that it will no longer forbid passengers, drivers, and employees from speaking publicly about sexual harassment or assault complaints they bring against the ride-hailing giant. The move to end forced arbitration marks a major shift for the company, which has faced a stream of misconduct allegations in recent months.
Uber is the second technology powerhouse in the past year to do away with requiring employers or customers to settle sexual misconduct complaints in private. Critics say forced arbitration shields predators and promotes a culture of silence. Uber subsequently launched an investigation into its corporate environment, which led to the firing of 20 staffers for sexual harassment, bullying, and other causes. The app took another reputation hit in April when a CNN analysis of police reports and court records found that at least 103 Uber drivers in the United States have been accused of some form of sexual assault in the past four years. (The outlet reported that 31 drivers have been convicted of sexual crimes, including forcible touching and rape. Some lawmakers had urged Uber to waive binding arbitration for sexual harassment complaints. Uber has fired more than 20 employees after a company investigation into sexual harassment claims and workplace culture.
If we investigated the harassment case from all its sides, Uber is the first responsible side because it did not comply with the promises and owes that told people it would do. First, this sexual harassment influenced the company’s culture and reputation. Thus, Uber did not behave ethically or morally towards the case, yes it fired 20 employees from the company, but this is not enough because it did not pay the victims. After people heard of the harassment they will not attract to the company anymore or apply to get a job in it. As a result, the company will lose a lot of benefits. This is what the victim said about the situation, ‘Uber was a pretty good-sized company at that time, and I had pretty standard expectations of how they would handle situations like this. I expected that I would report him to HR, they would handle the situation appropriately, and then life would go on – unfortunately, things played out quite a bit differently. When I reported the situation, I was told by both HR and upper management that even though this was clearly sexual harassment and he was propositioning me, it was this man’s first offense and that they wouldn’t feel comfortable giving him anything other than a warning and a stern talking-to. Upper management told me that he ‘was a high performer. We understand from her speech that Uber gives the privilege to the high performers because they make more money and even if they made mistakes they will forgive them! What uber did is totally inexpiable and against Uber terms and ethics.
In our opinion, sexual harassment should be prevented by putting high fines on anyone trying to assault another and put them in jail for no less than 10 years. We think one of the reasons that people sexually harass others is that they do not know the policies in the place they work in. Uber should have had it clear and communicate the policy with all its employees. Uber should make sure that all managers and supervisors understand their responsibility to provide a harassment-free work environment. In addition, they must ensure that all employees understand the policy and procedures for dealing with harassment, new and long-term employees alike, this involves training, information, and education. Other things they must do is appropriately discipline employees who harass other employees, provide protection and support for the employees who feel they are being harassed, Take action to eliminate discriminatory jokes, posters, graffiti, e-mails, and photos at the worksite, and Monitor and revise the policy and education/information programs on a regular basis to ensure that it is still effective for your workplace. We think that even employees have some responsibilities like, obtain and become familiar with the organization’s policy on sexual harassment, pay attention to the response of others in order to avoid unintentional offense, ask yourself if your verbal or non-verbal behaviors might have a negative impact on other co-workers attitudes toward work, and do not take sexual harassment lightly. If you think you are being sexually harassed by an individual or a group, do not accept it as a joke. Do not encourage the harasser by smiling, laughing at his/her jokes. Let the harasser know that you do not enjoy and do not want this type of attention.
Not all famous companies can be trustworthy because bad behaviors are individual things. You need to be careful with whom to work and with whom to communicate. If any sexual harassment happened or I suspect one, I should not keep silent. Silence makes the harassment stronger like what happened with the poor engineer at Uber company. What I have learned from this project is how to investigate unethical issues and analysis them, how to work as a group, and how to search and find certain information. Moreover, I learned some companies’ policies that will help me if I got a job in the future.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is one of the major issues that the employees all over the world have to place. Due to the perceived negative implications of this issue, government and advocacy groups have tried to engage in measures to address sexual harassment. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken steps to mitigate incidents of harassment in all industries by providing standards that are to be adhered to and empowering employees to sue whenever they face harassment in the workplace. Over the last decade, there has been an increase in education and awareness on the issue of sexual harassment leading to enlightened and therefore empowered employees.
These efforts have improved the conditions for most workers, although the issue continues to affect some workplace environments. While sexual harassment is a concern for the entire society, research suggests that employees in the hospitality industry are more vulnerable to this phenomenon (Pina, Gannon, & Saunders, 2010). This paper will set out to discuss why sexual harassment is so prevalent in the hospitality industry. It will then highlight the negative consequences of harassment and suggest ways in which the human resources department of the company can prevent these incidents.
Sexual Harassment: A definition
There is a significant difficulty in defining sexual harassment because people have different perceptions of what constitutes this act. These perceptions are informed by many factors, including the working culture of various workplaces and the societal norms. However, an acceptable definition offered by the European Commission Code of Practice defines sexual harassment in the work environment as “an unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, or other conduct based on sex affecting the dignity of women and men at work such as unwelcome physical, verbal or nonverbal conduct” (Oliveira & Vitor, 2013, p.181). There is a wide range of potential harassers in the work setting and they include managers, supervisors, coworkers, and customers.
Sexual Harassment and the Hospitality Industry
While sexual harassment occurs in various industries, there has been a disproportionate number of hospitality industry staff complaining about it. A report by the Human Rights Commission in 2007 indicated that 20% of all its sexual harassment complaints came from the hospitality industry (Brown, 2010). This is a significant figure considering the fact that this industry only makes up 5% of the national workforce. Corroborating this report is the prevalence of harassment lawsuits filed against the hospitality industry by employees. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission observes, “More charges alleging sexual harassment and discrimination are filed against the restaurant industry than against all other industries put together (Albano & Brain, 2009, p. 5).
Sexual abuse in the hospitality industry is carried out against both men and women. A study by Theocharous and Philaretou (2009) on sexual harassment in the hospitality industry in the Republic of Cyprus reveals that almost one in three victims of sexual harassment were males. Such findings show that while women are the major victims, men working in the hospitality industry also suffer from these incidents. This suggests that harassment is ubiquitous in the industry and employees are not safe.
Why Sexual Harassment is Prevalent in the Hospitality Industry
Job Expectations
The hospitality industry seeks to provide quality services that meet the needs of the customers. By its very definition, the term “hospitality” has a connotation of being welcoming and kind to guests. Many hospitality establishments therefore have a culture of providing the best customer service and ensuring that customer needs are met. The idea is that the customer’s needs should be properly satisfied in order to create a positive view of the company and encourage future returns. As such, the hospitality professionals are constantly exhorted to maintain a consistently positive attitude to customers. They have to be courteous and friendly, even to customers who act inappropriately or make unwelcome sexual comments. This situation is sometimes abused by customers who take advantage of the fact that hospitality employees lack the power to control their working environment.
Job Status
The job status of some of the professionals in the hospitality industry also makes them susceptible to sexual harassment. Most of the employees working in the lower levels are young, from poor socioeconomic backgrounds, and do not have high formal education. For example, many people who work in the housekeeping department, a department that is integral in hotel management, are often from poor backgrounds. The low status of the workers leads to a feeling of weakness and the employee is intimidated, especially when dealing with individuals in authority. In addition to this, these workers are unlikely to report when they are harassed since this might have a negative effect on their job security. Oliveira and Vitor (2013) state that most of these workers are less likely to file complaints that may jeopardize their jobs. This increases the chances of being harassed.
Business Reputation
Managers contribute to perpetuating sexual harassment in the hospitality industry by failing to take action when complaints are issued by employees. Oliveira and Vitor (2013) document that hotel management is often eager to please wealthy clients and in some cases, this means ignoring complaints of sexual harassment from their staffers. Due to the negative implications that sexual harassment charges can have on the business, management might try to dismiss any allegations. Oliveira and Vitor (2013) reveal that in some cases, management’s reaction to charges of sexual harassment has been to discharge it as the personal inclinations of individual people. This reaction lays blame on the victim of the harassment and creates precedence for future harassment in the workplace. When management ignores or tolerates sexual harassment in their company, employees develop a feeling of learned helplessness.
Power Imbalance
Some hospitality companies serve clients who come from a significantly higher economic status than the employees of the company do. This is especially the case in tourism where there is a stark difference of status and economic means between the clients and the hospitality employees (Oliveira & Vitor, 2013). The implicit power imbalance in the relationship between clients and staff leads to higher probability of sexual harassment incidents taking place.
The prevalence of women in lower level occupations in the hospitality industry also increases the prevalence of sexual harassment cases. Unlike in other industries where there is a gender balance or men dominate the workplace, the service workplace is largely populated by women. The men working in the hospitality industry often have higher positions than women do. Research indicates that men hold most of the management positions in the hospitality industry while women are overrepresented in the lower levels. Men are therefore able to use their position of authority over women to gain sexual favors.
Sexualization of Women
In the hospitality industry, the appearance of employees, especially women is of great importance. The hospitality industry often requires employees to act or dress sexually for the pleasure of customers. Many companies enforce strict dress and grooming codes that require the employees to appear attractive (Alagappar et al., 2011). Employees are encouraged to appear attractive and in some cases alluring to the clients. Such behavior is encouraged since it improves business by causing customers to return. This culture results in a high occurrence of objectification of staff by the clients. By being obliged to look attractive, employees bring attention to themselves and they cause observers to view them as sexual beings. Sexual harassment is therefore more likely to occur in this environment than in would in an environment where “attractiveness” is not at the core of the employee dress code.
Hierarchical Structure
The hierarchical structure adopted by the hospitality industry makes lower level employees susceptible to harassment. In this industry, there is a rigid structure where subordinates are required to report to supervisors. Supervisors possess significant power since they perform regular evaluations of their subordinates. This power structure makes it easy for the managers to take advantage of the lower level employees. Albano and Brain (2009) note that managers might require sexual favors from the employees for a promotion or in order to give a favorable job evaluation.
Social Interaction
The level of interaction among hospitality industry employees with co-workers, managers, and customers makes them vulnerable to being sexually harassed. Workers in this industry work long and irregular hours, during which they interact with their colleagues and clients. This decreases the amount of time spend with other people. Albano and Brain (2009) reveal that the high level of interaction exposes the employee to harassment especially from their colleagues. Low-level employees with greater experience often harass the new employees. The greater interaction with customers also raises the probability of harassment occurring. Kim (2009) documents that hospitality industry employees are likely to encounter intoxicated customers who might engage in inappropriate sexual behavior.
Impact of Sexual Harassment
Incidents of sexual harassment in the hospitality industry can lead to a number of significant problems. The first detrimental impact of sexual harassment is that it has a negative impact on the mental health of the victim. Studies show that victims of sexual harassment are predisposed to suffering from a host of psychological and physiological symptoms such as stress, anxiety, fear and depression (Ineson, Yap, & Whiting, 2013). The self esteem of the victim is also reduced and this might lead to negative effects since self-esteem tends to have an effect on a person’s daily interpersonal interactions and is closely associated with his/her well being, self-efficacy and memory capabilities.
Harassment leads to low morale from the victimized employee. The employee is likely to develop feelings of fear and resentment towards the employers if the issue was reported and no action was taken (Alagappar et al., 2011). This resentment leads to lower work productivity as the worker is unwilling to cooperate with the management and achieve the company’s objectives. Theocharous and Philaretou (2009) report that following incidents of sexual harassment, victims tend to display a marked decrease in their work output.
Companies in the hospitality industry are likely to suffer from high employee turnover rates due to harassment. Incidents of sexual harassment lead to poor work environments where the employees do not feel safe. This leads to discomfort and most workers are likely to seek for employment elsewhere. Choi and Youngsoo (2009) reveal that the exceptionally high turnover of staff in the hospitality industry is a direct consequence of issues of a sexual nature. One study reported that up to 20% of companies in the hospitality industry identified harassment as one of the reasons for workers quitting their job (Albano & Brain, 2009). High turnover rates reduce the profitability of the company since hiring new staff is an expensive activity.
Sexual harassment may be financially damaging to the company, especially when the matter is exposed to the public. In some cases, employees take action against their employers and sue the company. These lawsuits are often covered by the press leading to bad publicity for the company. Jennings (2009) notes that allegations of sexual harassment harm the image of a company and lead to reduced profitability due to loss of customers. The company is forced to engage in expensive public relations efforts to restore its good image. In addition to this, companies might be forced to pay significant amounts of money in settlement when they are found liable for sexual harassment against the employees. Jennings (2009) reveals that huge monetary awards are given to employees who successfully sue their companies for sexual harassment.
The Role of HR
A successful hospitality company has to maintain good relations between its employees and its customers. Sexual harassment threatens to destroy the existence of these good working relations leading to problems for the company (Pina et al., 2010). As has been noted, sexual harassment has negative repercussions for both the employee and the company. It would therefore be beneficial for a company in the hospitality industry to prevent harassment. The Human Resource (HR) department is best placed to engage in activities that can prevent sexual harassment from taking place in the company.
The HR department should come up with an articulate sexual harassment policy that should be available for all employees. A useful policy is one that informs employees of appropriate and inappropriate action. The policy should specify what constitutes sexual harassment in clear terms and highlight what actions are unacceptable. The policy should provide the name of the person to be contacted in case there is an incident to report. Albano and Brain (2009) state that there should be a number of managers who reports of incidents can be made to since the employee would not be able to act if there is only one manager and he/she happens to be the harasser in the given case. The HR should take action whenever there is a report of sexual harassment. A thorough investigation should be undertaken in response to any charges made and action taken to stop inappropriate behavior when it occurs. Jennings (2009) notes that having a policy is not enough; action has to be taken to mitigate the situation.
The HR office should invest in sexual harassment training for the employees. Such training would provide the staff with the necessary information about the issue making them more empowered. Empowered employees are less likely to put up with sexual harassment or allow their coworkers, managers, or customers to treat them in an abusive manner. Choi and Youngsoo (2009) declare that managers should also be trained regularly on how to avoid sexual harassment and how to react when incidents are reported. Proper training to managers makes it possible for employees to enjoy a safe working environment.
HR can implement some solutions to preventing sexual harassment from occurring in the first place. One proactive measure is ensuring constant surveillance in hallways (Oliveira & Vitor, 2013). This will reduce the risk that housekeeping staff face when working at odd hours. By installing video cameras, the isolation that increases the risk of sexual harassment will be reduced. The sexualization of women employees in the hospitality industry has contributed to the prevalence of sexual harassment in the industry. HR can help reduce harassment by avoiding requiring employees to adopt sexualized roles.
In spite of the best efforts by the HR department, it might not be possible to stop all incidents of sexual harassment. When an employee is harassed, there should be a strong support system to help in the recovery process. Most companies in the hospitality industry do not have a support system and employees are forced to cope with problems on their own (Ineson et al., 2013). The HR should ensure that the employees have access to support systems to ensure recovery from the incident. Fellow workers should be allowed to offer social support to their colleagues.
Conclusion
This paper set out to discuss why sexual harassment is so prevalent in the hospitality industry and highlight its impacts. It began by providing a definition of sexual harassment and stating why this issue is important in the hospitality industry. It then noted that while sexual harassment is a concern for workers in all occupations, hospitality employees are more vulnerable than other professionals are. This vulnerability stems from the odd working hours, the importance of appearance, and the presence of a large number of women at lower levels. The obligation by companies to please clients combined with the power difference between low-level employees and management and between employees and clients increases the frequency of harassment.
The paper has noted that sexual harassment leads to significant negative impacts for both the employee and the hospitality establishment. It is therefore pragmatic to address this issue and avoid its consequences. HR can play a huge role in protecting employees from sexual harassment and ensuring that action is taken in case of any incident. By addressing the issue of sexual harassment, the hospitality industry can continue to gain profits from providing services to the community while ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees.
References
Alagappar, P.N., Lean, M.L., Maya, K.D., Ishak, Z., & Yeok, M. (2011). You’re So Hot!: A Content Analysis of Sexual Harassment Among Hotel Employees. International Conference on Humanities, Society and Culture IPEDR, 20(1), 17-21. Web.
Albano, K., & Brain, K. (2009). Discrimination and harassment in the hotel, restaurants, and leisure industry. The Consortium Journal, 11(2), 5-15. Web.
Brown, D. (2010). Harassment protection. Food Service, 5(10), 4-6. Web.
Choi, Y., & Youngsoo, D. (2009). A case study into the benefits of management training programmes: Impacts on hotel employee turnover and satisfaction level. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism, 9(1), 103-116. Web.
Ineson, E.M., Yap, J.H., & Whiting, G. (2013). Sexual discrimination and harassment in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 35(1), 1–9. Web.
Jennings, L. (2009). Attorneys to operators: Policy not enough to avoid harassment suits. Nation’s Restaurant News, 43(44) 4-33. Web.
Kim, H.J. (2009). Hotel service providers’ emotional labor: The antecedents and effects of burnout. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(2), 151-161. Web.
Oliveira, I., & Vitor, A. (2013). Sexual harassment in the hotel housekeeping department. International Journal of Management Cases, 15(4), 180-192. Web.
Pina, A., Gannon, T., & Saunders, B. (2010). An overview of the literature on sexual harassment: Perpetrator, theory, and treatment issues. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(2), 126-138. Web.
Theocharous, A., & Philaretou, A.G. (2009). Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry in the Republic of Cyprus: Theory and Prevention. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 9(3), 288-304. Web.
Available literature demonstrates that sexual harassment is a widespread and incorrigible problem among women in institutions of higher learning, though men are also sexually harassed and assaulted (Krebs, Lindquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2009). These authors report that sexual assault and harassment of college women require closer scrutiny, as between 20 percent and 25 percent of women studying in these institutions are raped during the course of their college life, and between 2 percent and 3 percent of college women experience forcible rape in the course of an academic year. The present paper attempts to review and synthesize relevant literature on the social dynamics of sexual assault and harassment.
A number of studies have been conducted to illuminate the reasons why sexual assault and harassment among college women are on the increase, with several of them categorizing the reasons under three main groups namely developmental and socialization dynamics, beliefs and personality factors, and situational characteristics (e.g., Jozkowski, Peterson, Sanders, Dennis, & Reece, 2014; Krebs et al., 2009; Warkentin & Gidycz, 2007). The present paper will utilize these categorizations or perspectives in comparing and contrasting available literature on the topic of sexual assault and harassment. Although the studies reviewed were conducted to answer various gaps in the sexual assault and harassment literature, the focus of this review will be on college women.
Literature Review and Synthesis
Developmental and Socialization Factors
According to Warkentin and Gidycz (2007), “developmental and socialization factors encompass such areas as membership in an all-male group and degree of pornography usage” (p. 829). In their study, Warkentin and Gidycz (2007) found that members of all-male groups and athletic teams are more likely to use the prestige associated with their positions or teams to not only perpetuate acts of sexual assault and harassment, but also to support beliefs that appear to advocate for rape and aggression of women.
This view is reinforced by Wuensch and Moore (2014), who found that physically attractive individuals can engage in sexual assault and harassment and still get away in a court of law owing to the fact that society views physically attractive people more favorably and physically unattractive people more unfavorably. When the context is changed to women in college, this particular finding explains how physically attractive men in college hide behind their looks and group membership to perpetrate sexual assault and harassment against women without necessarily attracting the attention of the administration.
Drawing from the works of Wuensch and Moore (2014), it is evident that society is guided by an erroneous perception that physically attractive people are less likely to engage in acts of sexual aggression than physically unattractive people. These findings assist researchers to understand why college administrators always find it difficult to believe that a physically attractive member of the college athletic team, for example, would sexually harass a physically unattractive female student.
As demonstrated by Warkentin and Gidycz (2007), group membership is also positively associated with a high incidence of sensation seeking, which in turn reinforces the resolve of individuals to engage in sexually aggressive tactics. According to Jozkowski et al (2014), it is in such closely-knit groups where men are socialized into believing that women are powerless and should be there to satisfy men in line with the traditional gender ideology.
In their systematic review, Lindgren, Parkhill, George, and Hendershot (2008) acknowledge that group membership and traditional gender ideologies have continued to play a significant role in perpetrating various misperceptions of sexual intent, as men perceive more sexuality in female targets based on how they have been socialized in a group and how they understand gender roles.
Beliefs and Personality Characteristics
As demonstrated by Warkentin and Gidycz (2007), a substantial number of men still adhere to traditional gender roles and readily accept sexually coercive behaviors demonstrated by others, not mentioning that others demonstrate personality characteristics (e.g., psychopathy and sensation seeking) which are closely related to sexual aggression, leading to increased instances of sexual assault and harassment of women. In their study, Zawacki, Abbey, Buck, McAuslan, and Clinton-Sherrod (2003) used the beliefs and personality perspective to demonstrate that perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment have “stronger histories of delinquency, more aggressive and dominant personalities, and greater engagement in and endorsement of casual sex” (p. 375).
By also revealing that perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment show stronger attitudes in supporting violence against women and an extremely stronger motivation to have sex with women to satisfy their ego, Zawacki et al (2003) findings support theories demonstrating that “perpetrators have antisocial personality traits that are reflected in a general lifestyle of societal transgression, are highly motivated to pursue all sexual encounters, consensual or not, and espouse stereotypes about sex and dating that condone sexual aggression” (p. 375-376).
Situational Characteristics
A number of studies have argued from the perspective that most college women experience sexual assault and harassment in situations involving alcohol, drugs, and significant others. For example, Benson, Gohm, and Gross (2007) found that alcohol use is positively associated with heightened risks of sexual assault, and that most sexual assault and harassment incidences are perpetuated by people close to the victims rather than by strangers. In their study, Krebs et al (2009) reinforce this perception by acknowledging that previous research has demonstrated positive relationships between college women’s alcohol and/or drug use and the risk of sexual assault, though only a few studies have investigated the various means by which sexual assault or harassment is perpetuated in alcohol-related cases.
Available literature on alcohol and sexual harassment has raised pertinent issues on whether alcohol is really to blame for the increasing incidences of rape and other forms of social aggression perpetrated against women in college. For example, while researchers (e.g., Krebs et al, 2009) are in agreement that most sexual assaults occur after women voluntarily consume alcohol, Warkentin and Gidycz (2007) found that most men who sexually assault or harass women use alcohol as an excuse for their actions and hence end up consuming a lot of it during sexual interactions and during sexual misperceptions of women.
Similarly, in their systematic review, Lindgren et al (2008) found evidence supporting the fact that most alcohol-induced perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment believe strongly in already predetermined misconceptions that alcohol elevates their own sex drive and that a woman’s drinking is a good indication of sexual interest. On their part, Benson et al (2007) found that high intensities of alcohol use are positively correlated with beliefs that alcohol facilitates sex urge, sexual affect as well as vulnerability to sexual coercion, hence giving credence to the argument that most sexual assault or harassment perpetrators use alcohol as bait to provide an enabling environment for the sexual aggression to occur.
Lastly, in dealing with situational characteristics, Benson et al (2007) raise an important issue relating to three constructs, namely alcohol use, sexual assault record, and consensual sexual partners. These authors argue that women who report heavy drinking also report higher incidences of sexual assault record and higher numbers of consensual sexual partners, thus giving credence to the fact that the consensual sexual partners could actually be the ones who violate their drunken victims sexually. Lindgren et al (2008), Warkentin and Gidycz (2007), and Zawacki et al (2003) have all supported the assertion that most women are sexually abused by people they know, and that most of these abuses occur after social events involving alcohol consumption and/or drug use.
Conclusion
This paper has attempted to review existing literature on sexual assault and harassment using three perspectives, namely developmental and socialization dynamics, beliefs and personality aspects, as well as situational factors. All the three perspectives seem to provide viable justifications as to why cases of sexual assault and harassment are on the increase among college women; however, there have been noted counterarguments that need to be carefully investigated to ensure that this issue is successfully resolved.
At best, these dynamics seem to affect and influence each other, hence the need to conduct a careful analysis on how they contribute to sexual assault and harassment. For example, it has been demonstrated how perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment may be using alcohol and/or drugs as a veil to hide their personality deficits and deeply entrenched traditional beliefs. Consequently, in discussing about the social dynamics of sexual assault and harassment propagated against female students in college, it is suggested that the main focus will be on investigating how the three perspectives interrelate to trigger men into sexually assaulting and abusing women in college.
References
Benson, B.J., Gohm. C.L., & Gross, A.M. (2007). College women and sexual assault: The role of sex-related alcohol expectancies. Journal of Family Violence, 22(6), 341-351.
Jozkowski, K.N., Peterson, J.D., Sanders, S.A., Dennis, B., & Reece, M. (2014). Gender differences in heterosexual college students’ conceptualizations and indicators of sexual prevention program. Journal of Sex Research, 51(8), 904-916.
Krebs, C.P., Lindquist, C.H., Warner, T.D., Fisher, B.S., & Martin, S.L. (2009). College women’s experiences with physically forced, alcohol- or drug-enabled, and drug facilitated sexual assault before and since entering college. Journal of American College Health, 57(6), 639-647.
Lindgren, K.P., Parkhill, M.R., George, W.H., & Hendershot, C.S. (2008). Gender differences in perceptions of sexual intent: A qualitative review and integration. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32(4), 423-439.
Warkentin, J.B., & Gidycz, C.A. (2007). The use and acceptance of sexually aggressive tactics in college men. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(7), 829-851.
Wuensch, K.L., & Moore, C.H. (2014). Effects of physical attractiveness on evaluations of a male employee’s allegation of sexual harassment b y his female employer. Journal of Social Psychology, 144(2), 207-217.
Zawacki, T., Abbey, A., Buck, P.O., McAuslan, P., & Clinton-Sherrod, M. (2003). Perpetrators of alcohol-involved sexual assault: How do they differ from other perpetrators and nonperpetrators? Aggressive Behavior, 29(2), 366-380.
Unwelcome sexual advances, a request for sexual favors, or any other conduct of sexual nature constitute sexual harassment. In the U.S., sex is an inescapable theme present in all media where teens learn that sexual advances are an expected behavior of boys and girls (Roleff, 2001). The teenage period consists of increased awareness of sexuality by teenagers. In this period, teenagers are moving from a state of ignorance, concerned about the changes they witness in their lives. Studies by Sprecher, Harris, and Meyers (2008) have shown that peers from the first reference point for adolescents who have questions about their sexuality. They represent the main source of sexual education for adolescents. Study findings on the favorable sources of sexuality information by teenagers have shown that there is an increased reliance on peers, professionals, and the internet as a form of media. However, the increase has not resulted in a decline in the preference of parents and independent reading.
Sexual Harassment of Teenagers
In discovering their sexuality, teenagers become responsive to sexual gestures and are capable of arousal. They develop sexual desires that they find embarrassing to express because of a cultural condition enforced by parents and educators that sex is dirty and needs to wait until marriage (Greenberg, Bruess, & Conklin, 2011). To let out their desires, teenagers resolve to bully, tease, and eventually sexually harass others.
Teenage Sexual Harassment is a Cultural Problem
As teenagers learn about sexuality from their peers, they also learn about their sexual preferences and are likely to assume the sexual tendencies practiced by their peer advisors. In addition, teenagers seeking information about their sexuality from their fellow peers are prone to sexual harassment as a practical way of informing them of the different aspects of their sexuality.
There are several conditions that allow the proliferation of sexual harassment of teenagers cases in the U.S. that are discussed in this paper, together with other conditions that indirectly influence the tendency of a teen to harass another. A study by Fineran and Bennett (1999) shows that 87 percent of girls are sexually harassed, and 77 percent of girls harass their peers. On the other side, 79 percent of boys face sexual harassment while 72 percent of boys sexually harass their peers. The main risk factor that contributes to sexual harassment is bullying. Bullying is not a criminal offense in U.S. schools and is therefore not strictly restricted. Girls and boys who bully others see it as a normal practice (Stein, 1995). The disregard of the probability of bullying to lead to incidences of sexual harassment has assisted to camouflage sexual harassment cases in U.S. schools as cases of teenage violence and teasing.
Behavior that constitutes dating, courtship violence, or domestic violence in adults merely passes for teasing in teenagers. This lack of proper recognition for teenage victimization has greatly contributed to the increase in teenage sexual harassment cases in U.S. schools. As long as teasing and bullying are behaviors accepted tacitly by parents and teachers as normal teen behaviors, then sexual harassment in schools will continue to proliferate because most sexual harassment cases are easily rendered as bullying or teasing and do not warrant the required punishment for the perpetrators.
Stein (1995) reports that schools are essentially a training ground for a devious cycle of domestic violence, and this incorporates sexual harassment. The author notes that in cases of self-defense against sexual harassment, the victim becomes the wrongdoer after they react violently against those harassing them. This case presents sexual harassment victims with a dilemma of where to turn to for help after both teachers and parents discredit their claims. Victims are left helpless on their own with the hindsight that adults close to them cannot help. Therefore such victims give in to sexual harassment and accept that bullying and teasing as well as occasional violence that accompanies these behaviors as normal. Since it is a common practice to tease and bully as well as sexually harassing other students in school, boys and girls witness these cases in public and are not aware that the behavior is wrong. Instead, they learn tacitly and directly to continue to sexually harass their peers or suffer sexual harassment in silence.
Sexual harassment in schools is, therefore, a cultural problem. When a school is not committed to a spirit of equality that is expressively against any form of injustice, then the schools become a fertile breeding ground for the harmful sexual harassment behavior that is likely to lead to domestic gender violence as teenagers turn into adults. Adult sexual harassment is a criminal offense punishable by law; however, the same is not applicable to teenage sexual harassment. In coming up with measures to prevent or control incidences of sexual harassment in schools, stakeholders need to be aware of the interwoven relations of the adolescent discovery of their sexuality, their preferred learning sources, and ways the reasons behind that practice of sexual harassment and the overall cultural interpretation of sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment lawsuits have increased the awareness of the problem without significantly preventing further occurrences of sexual harassment. The most effective way to check the prevalence of sexual harassment in schools is to normalize the conversation surrounding the topic so that teenagers are able to participate freely in the conversation. Abstract curriculum learning of sexuality only serves to inform students of the bodily changes occurring during their adolescent period and does not give them remedy advice on how to respond when they are victims of behaviors associated with adolescents.
Stein (1995) has recognized that disciplinary measures and lawsuits serve little to prevent further cases of sexual harassment in schools. The author suggests that proper material that is appropriate and sequential should be incorporated into the curriculums of respective schools, as well as discussions about sexuality and sexual harassment. As explained earlier in this paper, peers form the second most trusted source of sex education for teenagers after their parents. This paper has shown that adults and peer educators are not favored as the preferred authority to report cases of teenage sexual harassment because they are less likely to act in favor of the victim. Teenagers are left to depend on their peers, who might also be victims for emotional support after they suffer sexual harassment attacks.
Recommendations of Dealing with the Vice
In order for a strategy to be effective in curbing sexual harassment incidences in schools, it must be structured in a form that allows teenagers to learn and teach their peers. The initiative should also be proactive in coming up with solutions and learning material instead of reacting to reported cases of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment happens in public and therefore shapes up the school environment affecting those observing as well as those being harassed and those harassing others. Teachers and other adults need to initiate behavioral changes that demonstrate the responsibility of teenagers as moral individuals. When teenagers become morally aware of their environment, they are in a position to speak up against incidences that they would not want to happen to them, such as sexual harassment. Students need to be taught how to be proactive in intervening when they witness sexual harassment cases. Instead of being spectators too afraid to get involved, teenagers in schools must be empowered to see sexual harassment for what it is; an injustice that is punishable (Roleff, 2001).
Sexual harassment happens in all schools in the United States, and awareness levels of this vice are rising because of several public lawsuits. Unfortunately, the curricula and school structures of most schools only allow student participation in the school environment and policy as spectators (Stein, 1995). Gruber and Fineran (2008) reinforce the need for safer school environments for all students as an effective strategy to curtail sexual harassment cases. They argue that a limited focus on bullying among boys in schools that leaves out a focus on the victims and perpetrators of sexual violence as a different behavior fails to offer a conclusive solution to the provision of a safe environment for all teenagers in schools U.S. schools. To address effectively sexual harassment, teenagers should be taught sexuality to improve their sexual decision-making ability. Sexuality education offers a holistic approach to sexual information, understanding attitudes attributed to sex, as well as offering a broad examination of sexual issues (Greenberg, Bruess, & Conklin, 2011).
References
Fineran, S., & Bennet, L. (1999). Gender and power issues of peer sexual harassment among teenagers. Journal of Intepersonal Violence, 14(6), 626-641.
Greenberg, J. S., Bruess, C. E., & Conklin, S. C. (2011). Exploring the dimensions of human sexuality. Sadbury: Jones and Barlett Publishers.
Gruber, J. E., & Fineran, S. (2008). Comparing the impact of bullying and sexual harassment victimization on the mental and physical health of adolecents. Sex Roles, 59(1-2), 80-92.
Roleff, T. L. (Ed.). (2001). Teenage sexuality: oppossing viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.
Sprecher, S., Harris, G., & Meyers, A. (2008). Perceptions of sources of sex education and target of sex communication: socio demographic and cohort effects. Journal of Sex Research, 45(1), 17-26.
Stein, N. (1995). Sexual harassment in school: the public performance of gendered violence. Harvard Education Review, 65(2), 29-46.
As a minor violation, the manager can use verbal counseling at first to correct the behavior. In case of a repetition, a letter of reprimand will be more effective, serving as a warning (heat) according to the hot stove rule. The final punishment for the violation would be reassignment (to a position with flexible hours, for example). The employee can use a written response to address the action or file an appeal.
Failure to Respect Safety Rules
This violation can adversely influence the safety and security of the institution. The first response would be a letter of reprimand to emphasize the severity of the violation and ensure appropriate intervention (behavior correction). If a repetition occurs, the company can use administrative leave (without pay) to investigate the issue. As Catchpole (2013) points out, safety violations can reflect “good intentions to complete work efficiently, even if the behaviours are eventually misguided” (p. 2).
Because the damage is already done, the company has the right to reduce the pay during the investigation and suggest administrative leave. If the employee violates the code of conduct once again, termination is the only choice to ensure organizational safety. The employee can file an appeal or a legal complaint to demand further investigation.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can significantly influence the workplace environment, resulting in fear, discomfort, stress, frustration, and depression (Thomas, 2015). Suggested disciplinary actions include a letter of reprimand, reassignment, and termination (Thomas, 2015). To increase employees’ awareness of the harmful outcomes of sexual harassment, sensitivity training can be suggested as the first step. The letter of reprimand will describe the issue in employee’s behavior in detail. Reassignment or termination is suggested as a final type of punishment. The employee can use an appeal or a legal complaint to investigate the issue or defend their actions.
Playing a Practical Joke
Depending on the practical joke, the behavior might undermine the safety of the institution. Verbal counseling (to ensure understanding), sensitive training (to raise awareness of the problematic behavior), and a reassignment/termination (to prevent further repetition and damage) can be suggested as a progressive disciplinary track. The employee has the right to provide a written response or an appeal, although a legal complaint is less likely to happen.
Using Slurs
Verbal counseling, sensitivity training, administrative leave (without pay), and termination are suggested as a disciplinary track. Verbal counseling and sensitivity training will help the employee understand how the behavior can be corrected and why it occurs. If no success is made, administrative leave without pay is an effective action as it emphasizes that slurs are taken as a serious violation that leads to financial penalties.
A termination is undesirable but necessary if employee’s behavior is not improving because it will adversely influence relationships between employees and work environment. To counter company’s actions, the employee can use a written response to administrative leave or file a legal complaint/take legal action in case of termination.
Falsifying Reports
A letter of reprimand (to address the first attempt), administrative leave without pay (for further investigation and identification of involved persons), and termination (to protect the institution) are necessary as the action might jeopardize the safety of the institution. An appeal or a written response is employee’s options to counter the actions.
Government Credit Card
Verbal counseling, a letter of reprimand, and a reassignment are suggested actions. Verbal counseling will work once, giving the employee a warning and emphasizing unacceptability of the violation. A letter of reprimand will indicate the expected punishment. Reassignment will be necessary to withdraw the employee’s benefits (government credit card). A written response, an appeal, or a voluntary resignation might be employee’s choices.
Stealing
Letter of reprimand (as a warning), administrative leave (without pay), and termination can be used in case of stealing. Letter of reprimand serves as an effective warning and emphasizes company’s policies, an administrative leave can be used to send an employee to counseling sessions with a psychologist (if kleptomania is suspected), and termination is necessary because stealing employee can harm the institution and other employees.
Computer Password
As a minor violation, this one can be addressed with a verbal counseling and a letter of reprimand in case of unstopping repetition and if sensitive information was stored on the computer of another employee. Some employees might not be aware of the company’s policy, especially if the other employee allowed them to use their password. However, the employee might write a rebuttal if he or she believes that these rules are not mentioned in company’s policy.
Accepting a Bribe
A bribe is a serious violation as it undermines the institutions’ image, its safety, and is a sign of corruption. As Green and Kugler (2012) point out, “public officials are supposed to work in the best interests of their constituents or institutions, rather than in the interests of third parties” (p. 39). An administrative leave without pay during an investigation is necessary, and further termination is inevitable to avoid corruption and disloyalty among institution’s employees. Legal action might be taken if the employee believes he or she was slandered.
Threats
As threats to government officials are punished by fines or imprisonment, a letter of reprimand (first attempt), administrative leave without pay (for investigation) and termination (if confirmed) are necessary actions. The employee might use a legal complaint or take legal action to counter the claims.
Proper Attire
As a minor violation, verbal counseling and an administrative leave (for the whole or a part of the day so that the employee can change clothes) are suggested. Reassignment can be an option if the employee cannot follow the rule due to religious views; however, this can result in legal action against the organization.
References
Catchpole, K. (2013). Toward the modelling of safety violations in healthcare systems. BMJ Qual Saf, 1(2), 1-5.
Green, S. P., & Kugler, M. B. (2012). Public perceptions of white collar crime culpability: Bribery, perjury, and fraud. Law & Contemp. Probs., 75(1), 33-59.
Thomas, A. (2015). Incidents of sexual harassment at educational institutions in India: Preventive measures and grievance handling. International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research, 2(3), 317-322.
Your mother, daughter, sister, or a good friend might be sexually harassed at the moment as one in four women have experienced sexual harassment in the USA (Shanker 360). This statistics evidence that despite numerous attempts to eliminate discrimination and attain tolerance, we might still face cases of abuse, biased attitude, and sexual assault. These issues remain a significant problem of modern society as abusers who offend their victims are not able to realize the offensive and humiliating character of their actions. For this reason, there are strict measures aimed at the protection of potential victims and the provision of an appropriate punishment for individuals who disrespect human rights. Unfortunately, the problem still remains topical, and individuals suffer from sexual assaults. In a coherent society, sexual harassment is a well-known social and health issue for decades that commonly happens in the workplace, learning environment, public transportation, and public place.
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
The significance of the problem and its pernicious impact on society give rise to vigorous debates related to the nature of sexual harassment, its primary victims, places where it occurs, consequences, and ways to solve it. For instance, the workplace remains one of the most dangerous environments regarding the probability of sexual assaults or inappropriate behavior (Shanker 357). Employees, managers, contractors, clients, customers, and other people might become involved in unwelcomed acts (Shanker 360). By the relevant statistics, people holding more powerful positions have more chances to become abusers because of their authority and levers of influence that could be used to affect a victim and make a person obey (McLaughlin, “Sexual Harassment” 631). In a significant number of cases a victim accepts this sexual behavior because of the need for a job, money, social protection, etc. (Shanker 347) Moreover, fear is also considered one of the factors affecting relations between a harasser and a person who suffers from unwelcomed actions.
The issue of sexual harassment at the workplace is also complicated by the fact that the majority of cases remain unnoticed. Statistics show that only 25% of victims are ready to report and initiate investigation while the rest 75% prefer to conceal it (McLaughlin, “Sexual Harassment” 630). The central reasons for victims lack of desire to attract attention to the problem are the fear of losing a job, poor understanding of their primary rights, the absence of any credible evidence, or undesired actions (McLaughlin, “Sexual Harassment” 630). Moreover, witnesses are not likely to reveal cases of harassment they have seen. For instance, 23% of employees had seen sexual behaviors, requests, or suggestions in the workplace. However, only 33% of them reported about them (McLaughlin, “Sexual Harassment” 630). Under these conditions, the problem remains unsolved, and employees might still become victims.
Sexual harassment could also be applied to cases when workers are discriminated against regarding their gender. Thus, according to the survey conducted among working women, 48% of them admit that they are limited in their opportunities for further career growth because of their gender (Holland and Cortina 200). Additionally, the majority of respondents have experienced unfair evaluation of their performance and rewarding practices that rested on sexual discrimination or biased attitude (Holland and Cortina 201). In this regard, one could observe a pernicious impact on sexually unwelcomed behaviors have on employees, their satisfaction with job and career. Thus, cases of gender-based harassment, as an especial case of sexual harassment, could be found in numerous organizations across the USA and globally which evidences the complexity of the problem.
Regarding the severity of the issue, there are strict regulations introduced to eliminate the problem and guarantee a safe environment for workers. For instance, all employees are protected by the law which means that they should be ready to inform a potential abuser about the undesired character of his/her actions and explain that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Usually, it is enough to stop harassers as a majority of them are sure that a victim does not mind their actions (McLaughlin, “The Economic” 340). Additionally, a person should keep in mind that his/her dismissal because of the unwillingness to connive a harasser is unlawful which means that he/she should not accept unwilling behaviors because of this motif. Unfortunately, in a significant number of cases, these measures remain ineffective, and we could now observe a high number of accidents related to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Sexual Harassment in the Learning Environment
The learning environment is another sphere characterized by the spread of sexually unwelcomed behavior. By the statistics, 81% of all students experience sexual harassment in school (Clear et al. 1204). 83% of all girls and 78% of all boys have been harassed (Clear et al. 1204). What is even worse is that about 37% of students were harassed by teaches and on the contrary, around 37% of teachers were abused by students (Rosenthal et al. 369). The given numbers evidence a unique complexity of the problem regarding the learning environment. There are multiple cases of unwilling behaviors starting from spreading sexual rumors and ending with asking for intimacy or suggesting sex in exchange for a benefit, favor, good mark, etc. (Clear et al. 1209). In such a way, abuse is connected with authority, rivalry, and desire to dominate. The competitive learning environment might result in the appearance of undesired inclinations among individuals (Gruber and Fineran 120). For this reason, it is crucial to be able to prevent or respond to sexual harassment.
For instance, educators have numerous opportunities to eliminate undesired behaviors by appealing to comprehensive anti-sexual harassment policies. These presuppose severe punishments for abusers starting with warnings and ending with expulsion or dismissal. These policies could become an efficient tool in struggling against the given problem; however, the majority of accidents also remain unreported (Clear et al. 1209). There are several reasons for it like the image of the educational institution, unwillingness to initiate discussion, or even purposive use of this tool to achieve a particular goal or get a good mark (Clear et al. 1207). In this regard, the problem of sexual harassment in the learning environment is still unsolved as there are no potent tools to reveal all cases and introduce a specific framework that will cultivate tolerance and respectful attitude both to teachers and students.
Sexual Harassment in a Public Transportation
Finally, a survey conducted by human rights agencies in the major cities worldwide shows that about 6 in 10 women are sexually harassed in public or on transport systems (Madan and Nalla 91). These accidents include touching, sex jokes, hugging, asking for a date, sex-related comments, etc. In accordance with the same survey, 53% of women feel very unsafe when waiting for their transport on bus stops or railway platforms after dark (Madan and Nalla 93). Moreover, a woman faces an increased risk of being harassed when she enters a subway. There are several factors that precondition it. First, increased difficulty related to the identification of an abuser because of numerous people, especially in rush-hours (Luzon 362). Second, jam in trains, trams, and other means of public transport provide harassers with an opportunity to touch a victim or perform other sexual actions without being noticed (Luzon 359). Finally, people using subway might experience a lack of time which means that they would rather prefer to ignore or forget about the case. For this reason, the subway and other means of transport could be characterized by the high risk of unwelcomed behaviors.
Thus, considering the tendency towards the urbanization and appearance of overcrowded cities, the issue of sexual harassment in public becomes even more significant. The fact is that about 80% of women reported undesired actions performed by someone from the crowd (Madan and Nalla 95). The problem is extremely significant for metropolises and other big cities where the number of victims increases every year. For this reason, a bigger part of women cannot feel secure in the streets. By the above-mentioned survey, 6 in 10 women would rather prefer to spend more time but to avoid moving in the crowd because of the high risk of being abused (Madan and Nalla 91). However, lonely places could also attract harassers because of the absence of witnesses and their isolation. For instance, 4 of 10 women consider places like New York Central Park to be dangerous because of their negative experiences associated with these places (Luzon 363). For this reason, the further deterioration of the situation regarding sexual harassment in public areas could be predicted.
Opposite Perspective
However, despite this dissatisfying statistics, there is an opposite perspective on the issue stating that today we could observe numerous cases of speculations on the fact of being sexually harassed to achieve a certain goal, take revenge, or destroy a persons or a companys positive image (McLaughlin, “Sexual Harassment” 646). Adherers of this point of view is sure that along with the significant rise in the number of abused men (in 1990 92% of all cases were related to women, while in 2015 only 83% of claims are filed by them), one could nowadays observe the tendency to provoke inappropriate behaviors among women (McLaughlin, “Sexual Harassment” 646). In other words, the improvement of the situation along with the shift or priorities could be observed as being deprived of other levers of influence, females use their vulnerable positions to make a profit and attain success by using the traditionally sharp reaction on cases of discrimination and sexual harassment. Additionally, this perspective emphasizes the necessity of the creation of measures aiming at the protection of men who might be wrong-footed by their rivals or other individuals pursuing their own goals (Russell and Oswald 530). This point is critical regarding numerous appeals to restore tolerance and guarantee equal attitude to men and women.
Refutation
Thus, the given perspective rests on some really existing cases including women using their status of a victim to make publicity help them in achieving goals. For this reason, by this suggestion, there is no need it stricter measures to prevent abuse, but the society has to struggle against speculations. Nevertheless, these accidents could be characterized as isolated cases of speculation on sexual harassment whereas the real significance of the problem is evidenced by the relevant statistics and could hardly be doubted. The fact is that individuals do suffer from undesired behaviors in their workplaces, educational establishments, and streets. In such a way there is an apparent need for more efficient measures to protect people and punish harassers. Moreover, both men and women should be protected. As it comes from statistical data, there is a tendency towards the growth in the number of victims among males (Shanker 243). That is why a tolerant approach protecting a person regardless of his/her gender should be introduced. Only under these conditions, some improvement regarding the problematic sphere could be attained.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, sexual harassment remains one of the modern social stigmas that deteriorate the quality of peoples lives and affect their relations. Statistics show that a bigger part of women and a quarter of men have experienced undesired sexual behaviors in streets, educational establishments, work, etc. (Shanker 240) The problem arises from authorities and power a particular category possesses and its representatives desire to dominate. In some cases, it could also be used to achieve a particular goal and become successful. Anyhow, the critical character of the problem contributes to the increased necessity to find an appropriate solution as existing ones remain inefficient. Despite the fact that society condemns harassers and supports people who have experienced unwelcomed sexual behaviors, victims would rather prefer to conceal the accident not to attract attention or because of the fear of consequences. That is why the issue of sexual harassment remains topical for the current society and demands attention along with numerous efforts to create an appropriate solution to it.
Works Cited
Clear, Emily, et al. “Sexual Harassment Victimization and Perpetration Among High School Students.” Violence Against Women, vol. 20, no. 10, 2014, pp. 1203-1219, Web.
Gruber, James, and Susan Fineran. “Sexual Harassment, Bullying, and School Outcomes for High School Girls and Boys.” Violence Against Women, vol. 22, no. 1, 2015, pp. 112-133, Web.
Holland, Kathryn, and Lilia Cortina. “When Sexism and Feminism Collide: The Sexual Harassment of Feminist Working Women.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 2, 2013, pp. 192-208, Web.
Luzon, Golan. “Criminalising Sexual Harassment.” The Journal of Criminal Law, vol. 81, no. 5, 2017, pp. 359-366, Web.
Madan, Manish and Mahesh Nalla. “Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces” Examining Gender Differences in Perceived Seriousness and Victimization.” International Criminal Justice Review, vol. 26, no.2, 2016, pp. 80-97, Web.
McLaughlin, Heather, et al. “Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power.” American Sociological Review, vol. 77, no. 4, 2012, pp. 625-647, Web.
McLaughlin, Heather, et al. “The Economic and Career Effects of Sexual Harassment on Working Women.” Gender & Society, vol. 31, no. 3, 2017, pp. 333-358, Web.
Rosenthal, Marina, et al. “Still Second Class: Sexual Harassment of Graduate Students.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 3, 2016, pp. 364-377, Web.
Russell, Brenda, and Debra Oswald. “When Sexism Cuts Both Ways: Predictors of Tolerance of Sexual Harassment of Men.” Men and Masculinities, vol. 19, no. 5, 2015, pp. 524-544, Web.
Shanker, Murali, et al. “Sexual Harassment: A Complex Adaptive System Viewpoint.” Gender.” Technology and Development, vol. 19, no. 3, 2015, pp. 239-270, Web.
More and more sexual harassment scandals involving celebrities have been breaking recently, and those cases launched a wide social discussion on what sexual harassment is and what constitutes it. Although different people may disagree on the borders between appropriate and inappropriate sexual behaviors, the question persists: how can organizations prevent and/or address sexual harassment in the workplace? In this context, it is primarily necessary to investigate practices of addressing the issue of sexual harassment. First of all, Mainiero and Jones (2013) suggest that one should not confuse sexual harassment with workplace romance; a distinguishing feature of the latter is consent. If two people experience mutual attraction and engage in a sexual relationship, the situation may raise ethical issues; therefore, organizations should recognize that sexual harassment in the workplace can cause serious negative effects on the performance of the employees (McLaughlin, Uggen, & Blackstone, 2012; Nielsen & Einarsen, 2012).
Moreover, if the employees of an organization develop a perception that the organization does not protect them from sexual harassment in the workplace, they are less likely to make maximum efforts aimed at achieving organizational goals. However, before addressing the issue of sexual harassment, it is necessary to properly research it, both in the general sense (i.e., what researchers say constitutes sexual harassment and how organizations can address the issue) and specifically in the context of our organization (i.e., exploring what the employees’ sexual harassment experiences are). Therefore, I hereby request permission to proceed with conducting research that will allow designing appropriate avoidance strategies for the organization, thereby allowing it to avoid sexual harassment claims in the future. In connection with this, I would like you to authorize the use of the company’s time to enhance the organization’s positive image among its current and potential audiences by researching the issue of sexual harassment.
References
Mainiero, L. A., & Jones, K. J. (2013). Sexual harassment versus workplace romance: Social media spillover and textual harassment in the workplace. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 27(3), 187-203.
McLaughlin, H., Uggen, C., & Blackstone, A. (2012). Sexual harassment, workplace authority, and the paradox of power. American Sociological Review, 77(4), 625-647.
Nielsen, M. B., & Einarsen, S. (2012). Prospective relationships between workplace sexual harassment and psychological distress. Occupational Medicine, 62(3), 226-228.
Thomas, E. (n.d.). Since we’re in the online world [Video file].