Sexual Harassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sexual Harassment - Essay Example The concept of sexual harassment is a conventional phenomenon, which first appeared in the 1970s in United States. The concept also appeared later in 1986 in Europe. The aspect of sexual harassment brought forth a possibility of both positive and negative effects on the society in entirety and on organizations and individuals in particular. This led to increasing attention on the subject from both researchers and organizations alike. Sexual harassment is a severe contravention on the rights of workers with unpleasant and degrading experiences, which often result in emotional and psychological trauma. Generally, sexual harassment is described as the conduct of a sexual nature, which is unwelcome, and aims at intimidating, embarrassing, degrading the victim. Furthermore, sexual harassment creates hostile working conditions for the victim, which eventually hinders productivity and social exchanges within the organization (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2013). Australia human rights commission holds that an individual sexually harasses the other when: 1. The individual makes an undesirable sexual progress or unwanted sexual request for sexual favors to the harassed. Circumstances to be considered might include, but not restricted to; (a) age, sex, sexual preference, color, race, ethnic origin and religious belief of the harassed person. (b) The association involving the person and the individual who started the progress or appeal or who involved in the behavior. (c) Disability of the harassed person or other pertinent circumstance. 2. The harasser participates in unwarranted manner of a sexual character in relation to the harassed person. Sexual harassment is an intense problem in the contemporary workplace that is increasing at a high pace. Thousands of males and females come forward every year to report their sexual harassment and employers and other state agencies. In the beginning of sexual harassment in 1970s, researchers anticipated that one in every two women would become a sufferer of sexual aggravation in the job environment. The quantity of employees who lodge complaints of sexual aggravation in the private and public labor force remains high. Discrimination in employment has been increasing over the decades, but sexual harassment has currently been the basis of 33 percent of all harassment claims (Boland, 2005) according to the national agency charged with examining sexual aggravation in the place of work. The cost of sexual harassment is very expensive to both the employer and the individual being harassed. The United States department of labour holds that millions of dollars are lost in job opportunities, and more are lost in awards after harassment cases. Types and forms of sexual harassment One of the most arising questions on the aspect of sexual aggravation in the office seeks to answer what specific behaviors amount to sexual harassment. However, studies today look at the broader range of sociosexual actions in the work place as well as the conditions highlighted above for advances of sexual harassment. In establishing whether sexual harassment occurred or not, there has to be a complete analysis of actions patterns and aspects that are unwanted. In defining the term sexual harassment, request for sexual favors, sexually oral and physical behavior, as well as the sexual advance must to be ‘unwelcome’. This implies that the person complaining of sexual har