Why Sexual Harassment Still Happens In California And Elsewhere

Many people find it hard to believe that sexual harassment in the workplace is still an issue in modern society. They look at shows like “Mad Men,” a show set decades in the past, and see that harassment is a common theme, but what is really frightening is how many headlines from today’s world seem so similar.

These cases happen all across the country. A man in the military was actually in charge of preventing these kinds of issues in Texas, but then they started to investigate his role in a prostitution operation. Elsewhere, the chief executive officer of American Apparel was fired by the board. They said that, among other things, he let one of his employees leak nude pictures to the Internet. The pictures were of a woman who had recently set up a lawsuit to sue the man.

So why does this type of thing still happen in the workplace? One consultant in Berkeley, California, who has studied both employment discrimination and workplace harassment, said that the problem could lie with the fact that many women assume that everyone else knows what is going on. Since no steps have been taken to prevent it anyway, those women might not do anything.

Additionally, she said that the self-esteem of some of those doing the harassment could come into play, especially if they have a very low opinion of themselves. Due to the fact that they never feel like they are in power, they might not realize their position in relation to other employees, and they won’t even see themselves as leaders who are acting in a coercive manner.

Though it may seem strange in the modern world, sexual harassment in the workplaceis still quite common, and those who have dealt with it must know what legal rights they hold and what options they have.

Source: Fast Company, “Why Sexual Harassment Is Still An Issue And Why So Many Get Away With It” Gwen Moran, Jun. 25, 2014