MGT3045 WK2 Project

Sexual Harassment

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also addressed the issue of sexual discrimination. This resulted in a series

of lawsuits �led by women to gain protection against sexual harassment in the workplace. The courts

mostly ruled in favor of these women. Since then, employees have been able to seek legal relief from

sexual harassment under the protection of the Civil Rights Act.

Sexual harassment is often less about sex and more about power. The abuse of power results in sexual

harassment. You may be familiar with stories of harassment, where the male boss pesters a female

subordinate for a date, or promises her a promotion in exchange for sexual favors. Men have also

become the victims of sexual harassment, either at the hands of women, or other men.  The courts have

found that sexual harassment can occur not only between men and women, but also between two

women or two men.

There are two kinds of sexual harassment:

Quid Pro Quo refers to promising favorable treatment in exchange for some kind of sexual favor.

The phrase literally means “this for that.” This type of harassment is relatively easy to prove in

court.  When people talk about sexual harassment, they are usually referring to quid pro quo.

Hostile Work Environment: Quid pro quo sexual harassment probably occurs less often than

does another type of harassment—hostile work environment. In a hostile work environment, the

harasser creates an unfavorable and sometimes distressing environment affecting an employee's productivity and behavior.

Companies may avoid liability by taking care to prohibit sexual harassment. This process is tied into

the af�rmative defense. Important elements of the af�rmative defense:

Establish a sexual harassment policy.

Communicate the policy regularly.

Train employees and managers on avoiding sexual harassment.

Investigate and take action when complaints are voiced. (Mathis, 2017, p. 100)

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the regulatory agency that oversees

complaints regarding sexual harassment.  What constitutes sexual harassment as a violation under

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?  How is sexual harassment investigated and prevented in the

workplace? Read the following from the U.S. EEOC.

 

Additional Materials

EEOC: Facts about Sexual Harassment (media/week2/SUO_MGT3045_W2%20L2.pdf?

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