Dept. of Medical Oncology, University of Newcastle's definition:
a form of discrimination in the workplace which violates the civil rights act of 1964. Sexual harassment takes two forms: quid pro quo, where the employee must submit to sexual advances in exchange for job benefits or be penalized for refusing; or a hostile environment, where the atmosphere of the workplace is offensive and affects the employee's well-being. Offensive sexual conduct may include unwelcome advances, comments, touching, questions about marital status and sex practices, etc. Both men and women may be aggressors or victims. While civil rights legislation deals with sexual harassment in the workplace, the behavior is not restricted to this; it may take place outside the work environment: in schools and colleges, athletics, and other social milieus and activities.
(12 Dec 1998)
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Merriam-Webster's definition:
| uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct directed at an employee because of his or her sex. |
One issue affecting many girls today, which is often ignored, is sexual harassment. It is a daily occurrence which is usually not labeled as sexual harassment and dismissed as, "not that big of a deal." This attitude could be very damaging. There have been many studies done to date showing the possible effects of not reported cases with young girls.
- According to a study (by Melanie S. Harned and Louise F. Fitzgerald from the University of Illinois at Urbane) they discovered a link between sexual harassment and eating disorders among girls.
- In another study done by Kirsten Dellinger and Christine L. Williams in 2002, sexual norms in two highly sexualized workplaces were examined. In one company, a men's pornographic magazine, a lot of sexual harassment cases went on unnotified mainly because none of the victims felt any of their rights were being violated. Such instances were inappropriate sexist jokes. In the other workplace, a feminist magazine, those same jokes would not have been tolerated.
This example just shows how a different environment can affect a person's view on certain issues. In today's macho society, most forms of sexual harassment would often be not be labeled as that. This is most likely attributed to today's mass media portrayal of women in today's society. The truth is that sexual harassment is a serious offense with a wide variety of different negative consequences if not reported; it shouldn't be taken lightly. In that same study from above, some women even went as far to say that sexual harassment "may be accepted by workers as a reasonable or inevitable conditions of their employment." Every individual, however, is different; certain behaviors can be found either:
- harassing - if you find any situation personally harassing you should report it immediately. You are entitled to your personal opinion and you have your own individual comfort level.
- tolerable - in this situation, make sure the persons' actions don't over pass the point where you feel at ease; if so, try to avoid the situation.
- pleasurable - if you're enjoying the situation and attention, just make sure you and the other person are both looking for the same thing. For example, if it's just innocent flirting, and you don't want it to ever progress to anything more, make sure he or she knows that or vice versa.
If you don't report the situation, the harasser could
go on believing that it's okay for him to persist. |
Here's what you can do:
- Call this national hotline:
National Victim Center
703-276-2880
1-800-FYI-CALL
Here are some facts about sexual harassment:
- The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The
victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
- The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, boss, teacher, friend,
boyfriend, girlfriend, anybody.
- The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be
anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
- The harasser's conduct must be unwelcome, in order to label it as
sexual harassment.
- Sexual Harassment is not only "aggressive flirting," it is also making assumptions about you or stating sterotypes based on your gender.
- Sexual Harassment is not the same as Sexual Abuse.
Sexual Abuse is physically taking advantage of a victim without his or her consent
If you were a victim of sexual abuse in the past, you can avoid becoming a statistic. Do this by speaking out about this problem to, either a health professional in your local hospital or, in your school. They can help you, and your parents don't need to find out; these professionals work under a law of confidentiality. Reporting or taking action on this type of experience could help make dealing with it easier.
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