Eeoc and Sexual Harassment of Women in the Workplace

EEOC and Anti-Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Regulations

And The Effects on Women within the Workplace

Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………… Pg 3

Definition of Sexual Harassment……………………………….………….… Pg 4

Theoretical Perspectives…………………………………………………..Pg 4-10

Conclusion………………………………………………………………..…. Pg 10

Abstract…………………………………………………………………...…. Pg 11

References……………………………………………………….……….…. Pg 12

Introduction

Women, today, have a lot more influence than in the past, particularly in the workplace. There have been enormous strides taken to ensure women are treated fairly and no longer discriminated against. While there are still many differences between men and women’s role in the workplace, women are making more of an impression than ever before. Unfortunately, with the number of workingwomen on the rise, sexual harassment has become a major issue. This is a very important issue because women are starting to gain more respect in the workplace and their roles are changing as well. Who would have thought 50 years ago that it would be possible for women to play professional sports, be elected into political office and run worldwide corporations? Women have had many trials and tribulations to endure and sexual harassment is now one of them. While harassment occurs for both men and women, women employees file the majority of the filed suits. As women gain more ground within the workplace, sexual harassment needs to be addressed and taken very seriously. Within this paper, I will demonstrate the past trends and the current trends of whether sexual harassment suits have declined with the increase in EEOC regulations. Not only does the EEOC encourage and enable everyone to be fairly employed, but they are also in charge of employee complaints or lawsuits, such as sexual harassment.

Theoretical Perspectives

Sexual harassment is a serious issue within the workplace and increasing with each year. Women, as a whole, have been moving up the professional ladder, becoming more educated and successful and creating more opportunities for them than they have in the past. This issue has been widely studied and researched and there has been an upswing in the amount of lawsuits filed in general. With the increase in women in the workplace, there has been more of an increase in sexual harassment lawsuits filed by women than ever before as well.

First to understand sexual harassment, there must be clear understanding as to what sexual harassment constitutes. Webster’s Dictionary defines sexual harassment as “uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature especially by a person in authority toward a subordinate” (Webster’s online). According to a recent study, men and women were thought to have different perceptions as to what sexual harassment appears to be. As a result of the differences in definition, men were less likely to view sexual harassment as a problem and the article implies “that men may be more likely than women to initiate sexual behaviors at work that lead to complaints of harassment, since they are less likely to view such behaviors as unacceptable” (Konrad & Gutek, 1986, p. 422). In another article, there is also a questionable definition of sexual harassment as well. The results of that study show, “working women’s views of sexual harassment have not been accurately reflected in the definitions used by government agencies and in previous studies” (Powell, 2001, p. 26).

The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created back in the 1960’s to create equal job opportunities for people from all racial backgrounds. The commission as since