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From: Prof. Pearson
Date: 1/31/01
Time: 12:29:12 PM
Remote Name: 159.91.92.113
Hi Keith, You asked a question that I've thought about quite a bit. I was in the workplace before sexual harassment laws. I had experiences early in my working life that would now be considered sexual harassment -- bosses and co-workers who propositioned me regularly for example. It was a common practice to put a man's picture on your desk and wear an engagement ring, even if you had to buy it yourself. When I wasn't seeing anyone I would use the picture of someone I used to date and an ID bracelet from another guy I once dated.
I remember when the laws were put in place in the mid-80s, and how the atmosphere changed at my job. For example, there was a group of guys in my department who used to go jogging at lunch time. A group of us women would tease them about their legs. After the sexual harassment laws were put in place, we weren't sure that was okay anymore, so we stopped.
In 1991, as I've mention in class, I was a reporter for Emerge on the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings. It was then that I began to understand more about the nuances of sexual harassment law. I would say that the answer to your question depends on her power on the job and the impact that her remark had on people with less power. Did it create a hostile work environment that compromised a subordinate's well-being or ability to function?
As you probably know, there have been some cases in which women were charged with sexual harassment, by both male and female subordinates. (For what it's worth, there have also been cases in which people of color were charged with either bias crimes or racial discrimination.) This is a complex area of both law and social research.
Here are some links to background material that you might find interesting:
Psychology’s voice in sexual harassment law (From the APA Monitor) <snip> "...[T]he behavioral categories of gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention and sexual coercion. Gender harassment includes crude words, acts and gestures conveying hostile, misogynist attitudes.
"Along with gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention is characteristic of the legally defined "hostile working environment." By comparison, sexual coercion is akin to the legal concept of quid pro quo harassment, meaning job rewards in exchange for sexual relations...."
http://www.apa.org/monitor/aug98/law.html
What is sexual harassment? Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct based on sex or of a sexual nature that can make you feel uncomfortable, helpless or afraid. It is a form of sex discrimination that is illegal under federal law and state law in California and many other states. You have a right to be free from sexual harassment and there are ways in which you can make it stop.
Follow the links to learn more about sexual harassment in the workplace and in schools.
Sexual harassment at work Sexual harassment at school 1997-1998 Sexual Harassment Supreme Court Briefings
http://www.equalrights.org/sexhar/index.htm