Sexual Harassment in the workplace is a very big problem today. It is aproblem that hasn’t really drawn much attention until now. More and more sexualharassment cases have been brought up today than ever before. We here about aharassment case in the papers almost everyday. Sexual harassment has even drawnattention to movies.
One movie that has drawn its most recent attention tosexual harassment is Disclosure. In the movie Disclosure, sexual harassment draws its attention to theworkplace. The workplace is a very common area for harassment to occur. Insome cases we might not know that it is even taking place. What is sexualharassment? The dictionary definition of sexual is relating to, having orinvolving sex.
The dictionary definition of harassment is to annoy persistently. The definition of sexual harassment then is to persistently annoy someonethrough the use of sexual tactics. The movie Disclosure portrays an act of sexual harassment in theworkplace. It involves a male and a female. In this case the male is theperson who is sexually harassed.
In the movie the male character MichaelDouglas is sexually harassed by the Female character Demi Moore. The twocharacters used to share a very sexual relationship at one time. The two splitup and did not here from each other in a long time. Demi than shows up at thejob where Michael works. She is Michael’s boss.
Demi calls Michael into her office one night to go over a few things about work. She than asks Michael to rub her back. Taking it as a friendlygesture Michael returns the favor. The back rubbing is taken a little bitfurther leading to other sexual advances. After feeling uncomfortable Michaelshouts no, no, no and pushes Demi away.
He then leaves the building and headshome. Since they had past relationships Demi felt that Michael would want toengage in sexual relations. Michael was know a married man and felt that theactions were wrong. He had very strong feelings toward the act and decided totake action in fighting the case.
During the movie Demi continues theharassing. She also brings in the issue of Michael losing his job if he doesn’tcooperate. After a tremendous amount of arguments and negotiations the case is wonby Michael. Unfortunately not all cases are won but winning numbers are on therise.
Sexual harassment cases are becoming a lot more popular now than everbefore. In A Step Forward by Susan L. Webb sexual harassment is explained indepth. In earlier court cases such as Miller v.
Bank of America the courtinterpreted sexual harassment based on sex as a personnel matter between the twoindividuals not as actions directed at or effecting groups of people. It wasn’tuntil 1976 in the case William’s v. Saxby were sexual harassment established acause for action. In 1982 two federal courts of appeal adopted a classification scheme forsexual harassment.
One classification was Quid pro quo which means this forthat. Quid pro quo is defined as all situations in which submission to sexuallyharassing conduct is made a term or condition of employment or in whichsubmission to or rejection of sexually harassing conduct is used as a basis foremployment decisions affecting the individual who is the target of such conduct. The movie Disclosure follows the basis of Quid pro qou. Michael’s jobwas at stake for not participating in sexual relations with his boss. Today heand many others are faced with a similar case scenario.
The problem of sexual harassment has continued to get a lot of attention. In A Step Forward surveys show evidence to this. In a military survey ofsexual harassment out of 20,000 military respondents 64 percent woman and 17percent men said they had been sexually harassed. In business 40 percent womenand 15 percent men said they had been harassed. On college campuses 70 percentof females said that they have been harassed.
Sexual harassment is an extremely big problem that should be taken veryseriously. The only way something can be done is if more people come out to dosomething. If you are being harassed tell somebody about it as soon as possible. The longer a person waits the less chance they have of something being doneabout it.
If you feel threatened by someone confront that person about it. Ifyou feel that the situation is harassment but your not sure, talk to someone togain the proper information you need. Don’t .
