While sexual harassment has been associated with men in power such as former financier Jeffrey Epstein or well-known film mogul, Harvey Weinstein, the underlying problem of sexual harassment is a societal problem of the “man box” where men learn toxic behaviors from other men.
WHAT DOES SEXUAL HARASSMENT LOOK LIKE?
• Unwanted jokes, gestures, offensive words on clothing, and unwelcome comments
• Touching and any other bodily contact such as scratching or patting a coworker’s back, grabbing an employee around the waist etc.
• Repeated requests for dates that are turned down or unwanted flirting
• Transmitting or posting emails or pictures of a sexual or other harassment-related nature
• Displaying sexually suggestive objects, pictures, or posters
• Playing sexually suggestive music
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines sexual harassment:
It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include ‘sexual harassment’ or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.
Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.
Sexual harassment is important to discuss because it has become an acceptable form of bullying which is seemingly not recognized by society at large, particularly by men.
WHY IT MATTERS:
Sexual harassment undermines the social mobility of women, preventing them from conducting their business safely without fear of their personal space. We all should be able to go to work, walked down the street, take classes, enjoy dinner or cocktail without fear of molestation and continued unwanted attention.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES REGARDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
The general consensus of sexual harassment is that it will not disappear on its own. The most effective weapon against sexual harassment is prevention. In fact, it is more likely that when the problem is not addressed, the harassment will worsen and become more difficult to remedy as time goes on.
The best ways to deal with harassment is to directly confront it and create an atmosphere where such behavior is both not tolerated or condoned in any fashion. Addressing sexual harassment needs to be systematic and through, especially in the workplace.
Anti-harassment policies explain what harassment is, tell all employees that harassment will not be tolerated, and set out how employers and employees should respond to incidents of harassment. Anti-harassment polices should also set forth a detailed mechanism by which employees can make complaints when sexual harassment occurs.
Sexual harassment and how it affects your life.
• Has sexual harassment been a problem for you?
• How did you deal with it? Are some techniques better than others?
• Has sexual harassment grown more or less prominent in your life?
• Has the culture of pick-up artists and other serial sexual harassment affected how you deal with men or women today?
• Has the #MeTooMovement changed how your workplace addresses sexual harassment?
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This story has been republished to Medium.
