Addressing Sexual Harassment in Work Place

Addressing Sexual Harassment in Work Place

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Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Work Place

A recent statement realised by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows that there are approximately 7000 reported cases of alleged sexual harassment. Recent public movements such as Times Up and me too movements have been hitting our screens in the near past. The ‘me too’ campaign has received a world wide support with over 1.7 million tweets and 12 million Facebook posts from eighty five different countries. The above numbers expose the magnitude of the issue of sexual harassment in the work place. A resent research conducted by the Langer Research Associate estimates that nearly 33 million women in the United States have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the work place. According to these women such behaviours were perpetrated by the male colleagues.

To understand why, when and how sexual harassment occurs we need to first define what exactly is sexual harassment. There are a myriad of definitions which attempt to describe sexual harassment. There are both academic and legal definitions of sexual harassment (Siuta, 2019). One of the definitions terms sexual harassment as any behaviour that is sexual in nature which the victim regards as threatening, offensive and which exceed her resources.

Another definition explains sexual harassment as any kind of behaviour solicited by a male worker which exalts the sex role of a woman over her work as an employee. The behaviour should be non-reciprocal on the side of the victim. A more recent definition terms sexual harassment as any form of abusive and counterproductive behaviour which at its core is connected to hierarchical power at the work place. The above definitions point out to the general definition that sexual harassment is typically any behaviour that is sexual in nature, unwanted and hostile. It involves exploitation of power in order to discriminate, take advantage or coerce the victim to something against their will. As a result there is always abuse of power that is connected to sexual harassment.

It is important to note that the definition of sexual harassment is subjective (Gruber, 1998). What constitutes sexual harassment varies from person to person. Different employees have different perceptions as to what exactly constitutes sexual harassment at the work place. Generally, sexual harassment is framed around the act of male colleagues harassing female workers. However, this does not exclude the fact that males can be victims of sexual harassment. Men can be victims of sexual harassment but the act is more prevalent on women. When compared to the male counterparts, the negative effects of sexual harassment are more severe on women than men. As a result, much of the discussion on sexual harassment will tend to focus more on women being harassed by men. As an important guide organizations need to come up with their own definition of sexual harassment and point out situations when men and women have been victims of sexual harassment.

The high rate of occurrence of sexual harassment has made it difficult to accurately assess the issue. In the United States, it is estimated that 38% of women and 13% of men have been victims of sexual harassment at one point. A research conducted by Pew Research Center gave a report that estimated around 49% of women who work in male dominated fields are victims of sexual harassment. An interview with women who work in male dominated fields such as engineering and architecture confirmed that this is indeed one of the biggest challenges that women face at work. The same study by Pew Research Center shows that 32% of women who work in a balanced work environment that is an environment with equal number of women and men workers or even women workers are more attest to experiencing sexual harassment. It is estimated that the rate of sexual harassment in European countries is anywhere from 17% to 81%. Most of the reported cases of sexual harassment are often reported by women.

The high prevalence in incidents which are termed as sexual harassment is caused by the fact that most victims either downplay of minimize acts which qualify as sexual harassment. Victims of sexual harassment fear the consequences of reporting a case of sexual harassment. In the event of reporting, the victim may be coerced to underreport or under emphasise the experience. There is also the fear of the unknown at the work place. Most victims are not sure how the organisation would respond to a case of sexual harassment. In male dominated fields, women fear or are reluctant to report cases of sexual harassment because they are unsure how people would respond. Most women would rather suffer in silence for fear that their male counterparts would discriminate against them. There is also the issue of the discrepancies in terms of definition of sexual harassment by different countries. What amounts to sexual harassment in one country may not be so in another country.

From the above data and statistics one would wonder why there is an escalation of sexual misconduct. Research by many universities and organisations incline to the fact that there is a direct relationship between sexual assault and sexual harassment. In the United States, cases of sexual harassment are more prominent in the military and higher education systems. In the United States army research, a study conducted on the African American female veterans showed that most of them have been victims of child and adult sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimate partner violence (IPV) (Refinetti, 2018). The above outcomes have contributed to negative health outcomes both physically and mentally.

A study done on graduate students showed that there is a relationship between peer sexual assault and peer sexual harassment. Both cases were high in both men and women. It is important to note that more often heightened cases of sexual violence lead to sexual harassment. In recent posts, it is believed that the heightened cases of sexual harassment in Dallas Mavericks Organization which is part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has led to sexual assault. It is improper to link sexual assault to sexual harassment but there are numerous studies which point out to the fact that there is a close association between sexual harassment and sexual assault. In addition the steps that are involved in eliminating sexual harassment are less expensive compared to a single case of sexual assault. This makes it very necessary to counter and prevent sexual harassment before it escalates to sexual assault.

Sexual harassment is widespread in many societies around the world. In the United States a study done by Langer Institute of Research on middle school students showed that female students were exposed to sexual harassment in the form of sexual jokes or comments, spread of sexual rumours, forcible sexual contact and homophobic comments. Many people are exposed to sexual harassment at a very young age. The issue escalates and becomes more rampant at the work place. It is ignorant to sit down and hope that the problem will go away (Singh, 2012). Sacking the perpetrators at the work place will not make the problem go away. It is important for organizations to stand up and unite in the war against sexual harassment. Organizations should be role models in the society in the war against sexual harassment.

Many people are of the opinion that the rise in the cases of sexual harassment are as a result of many organisations down playing the issue. Organisations need to come up with specific measures which are geared towards preventing sexual harassment. One important factor is to acknowledge the existence of sexual harassment. Organisations need to come up with a clear definition of the term sexual harassment and state out clearly situations and instances which conform to this definition. Unfortunately the role of preventing sexual harassment is not 100% the duty of an organisation. Most of the causes of sexual harassment are beyond the control of the organisation. It is even more difficult to alter the ratio of men to women as a means of curbing sexual harassment.

However, there are other areas of controlling sexual harassment that organisations can tap into. Supervisor support, co-work support and perceptions of autonomy are characteristics within the control of an organisation. There is a guarantee that offering co-worker support, supervisor support and giving workers more autonomy on how they do their job leads to reduced cases and instances of sexual harassment. Organisations should encourage co-workers and supervisors to work to cooperate with the organisation to put an end to this issue. Conducting proper training and instilling interpersonal skills in the work place are important strategies used to curb sexual harassment.

It is also important for the organisation to curb the climate for sexual harassment (Castellon, 2010). An organisation needs to enrol a climate that has zero tolerance for sexual harassment. Employees need to be encouraged to report cases which are linked to sexual harassment. The only way to encourage employees to report is to take serious and legal action against previous perpetrators of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a pervasive and complex issue in the work place that will not be solved overnight. Every step against it will ensure that the goal is reached.

References

Castellon, R. (2010). Workplace Motivation & Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Organization. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi: 10.1037/e564922012-001

Gruber, J. E. (1998). The impact of male work environments and organizational policies on women’s experiences of sexual harassment. Gender & Society, 12(3), 301-320.

Refinetti, R. (2018). Sexual Harassment, Sexual Consent, and Beyond. Sexual Harassment and Sexual Consent, 5–17. doi: 10.4324/9781315129259-2

Singh, P. (2012). Sexual Harassment at Work Place. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2118899

Siuta, R. L., & Bergman, M. E. (2019). Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.191

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