Sexual harassment could be considered one of the most serious issues that can happen to both men and women in today's workplace. The existence of the problem has attracted the formulation of laws at the federal and state levels that protect employees from being sexually harassed. According to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC), workplace sexual harassment refers to the unwanted sexual advances or sexual conduct that interferes with an employee’s job performance or creates an offensive and hostile work environment (Jaufer, 2017). The advances or conduct can be in the form of inappropriate touching or threats imposed as a condition for employment on a particular employee. The purpose or effect of sexual harassment is to intimidate, offend, or to violate the dignity of a particular employee.
The other problem being faced in the contemporary work environment is gender equality. Central to the realization of gender equality in the society is employment equality. According to Bettio, Plantenga, and Smith (2013), employment equality refers to the provision of equal treatment between men and women in concerning how they are treated in the work environment, the opportunities received, and the economic achievement they receive. The changing U.S workforce has prompted organizations and policymakers to consider creating new policies necessary for meeting the needs of a diverse workforce. In spite of this provision, there is an inequitable division of labor at different workplaces (Blithe, 2015). The situation invites the argument that gender equality in the work environment is still something that organizations and governmental institutions should strive to achieve, given the increase in well-educated female population that is seeking opportunities in the labor market.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
There is a possibility of arguing that sexual harassment is suffused with differences in power relation on an individual, communal, as well as the organizational levels. This reasoning follows the notion of discrimination, which constitutes harassment based on an individual’s gender. According to Stamarski and Son Hing (2015), the ability of a person to act in line with his or her attitudes is determined by the strength of the constraints that occur in their social situations. This situation calls for the need to examine the organizational structures, practices, and the processes that communicate the need to implement measures that support gender equality (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). In this light, decision-makers in an organization that display gender-based discriminatory tendencies should be constrained. This situation is indicative of the idea that the culture of an organization can be instrumental in influencing the level of discrimination against women, consequently calling for the need to mitigate the situation.
Gender inequality can be seen in the organizational context. The organizational climate constitutes members that share the same perception of the practices and procedures that emanate from the culture of the particular organization. The two forms of organizational climates that can reflect gender inequality include a diverse workplace climate and a climate that condones sexual harassment (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). When the members of the organization focus on empowering, including, and treating diverse groups fairly, the organizational climate could be considered as positive. Organizations that do not support diversity are likely to be characterized by gender inequality, which means that women are more likely to leave. This is one of the factors that could be referred to when positing that women are underrepresented in some of the male-dominated arenas (Miner-Rubino & Cortina, 2004).
The organizations that condone sexual harassment permit the act, which might influence the victims to be reluctant to report such cases since they believe that their complaints might not be taken seriously (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). A permissive climate for this kind of harassment can create more harassing behaviors, which might influence women to leave the organization or disengage from the effective performance of their duties. Stamarski and Son Hing (2015) point out that the organizational context that supports diversity and those that permit sexual harassment are inextricably linked to the practices of the Human Resources department. For this reason, the organizational policies create a situation and environment that either discourage or support sexual harassment.
One of the most prominent challenges brought about by gender inequality in the workplace is related to the idea that the issue contributes to a culture that undervalues women at work. In this case, women are considered as dispensable individuals, which is a provision that intensifies the power imbalance exists between the men and the women in the workplace. This situation gives way for sexual harassment, a notion that is supported by McLaughlin, Uggen, and Blackstone (2012), when they indicate that sexual harassment in the work environment is associated with gender assertion to power. The situation is challenging to the female workforce since an environment that permits gender inequality would deter women from entering the workforce. This issue is of much importance based on the idea that women are vital to the economic development of a particular economy. Their underrepresentation in the workforce would mean that the potential of human capital in an economy would remain untapped (McLaughlin, Uggen, & Blackstone, 2012). The issue does not augur well with the need to empower women economically, which means that the growth rate of the particular economy might remain untapped.
An examination, evaluation, and the analysis of sexual harassment and gender equality invite the assessment of the concept of gender sensitivity. According to Bettio, Plantenga, and Smith (2013), gender sensitivity refers to ensuring that the concerns and experiences of both men and women in the organization are considered as integral to the development of policies and programs that would be beneficial to both genders. Gender issues are not only complex but also sensitive since they affect both genders regardless of their status in the work environment. An organization that is capable of identifying and handling gender inequality and discrimination is likely to underpin its success in the creation of a gender sensitive and inclusive organizational culture. The ultimate goal of this development is to achieve greater gender equality, which is one of the considerations that can lead to the reduction of the prevalence of sexual harassment. This notion is a derivative of the idea that sexual harassment could be regarded as a manifestation of gender discrimination in the work environment (Jaufer, 2017).
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has standards and guidelines that could be followed to prevent sexual harassment in the work environment (ILO & EFC, 2013). In spite of the existing standards and guidelines, policymakers, governmental leaders, emergency managers, and private sector executives can make decisions that could encourage gender equality in the work environment, consequently preventing or reducing the prevalence of sexual harassment. In spite of the existing laws and policies developed to deter sexual harassment in today’s workforce, the issue is still common. The presumption is that the society is yet to consider the issue as a serious problem, which might be one of the reasons for its prevalence.
One of the challenges faced by women that seek redress through lawsuits through the Equal EEOC is that the proceedings are long and drawn-out, most of which do not favor their claim. Such a situation deters many women from taking action even after they have concrete evidence that they were sexually harassed. It would be possible to suggest that government leaders and policymakers should develop simpler ways that will shorten the time it takes for the victims to prove their case, which will not only enable them to save on costly litigations but will encourage other women to report such incidents. Stiffer penalties should also be imposed on an organization that is found to have not followed the proper channels for sexual harassment complaints, which is a provision that might influence them to impose stiff policies.
At the organizational level, the typical communication channels used include the organization’s reporting system, policy provisions, and the management letter that reinforces the position of the organization. Even though the channels might be effective, management reinforcement is necessary. Not many organizational leaders are willing and comfortable to talk about sexual harassment. However, business executives and emergency managers should not consider the issue as simply a human resources issue since it is an organizational issue. For this reason, the executives should make the issue their own in the same way as the results expected of the organization. In this case, providing the management with the tools necessary for handling the issue effectively will be essential.
References
Bettio, F., Plantenga, J. & Smith, M. (2013). Gender and European Labor Market . Routledge.
Blithe, S. (2015). Gender Equality and Work-Life Balance: Glass Handcuffs and Working Men in the U.S. Routledge.
International Labor Organization (ILO), & Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC). (2013). Code of Conduct and Guidelines to Prevent and Address Sexual Harassment in Workplaces. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---ilo-colombo/documents/publication/wcms_525537.pdf
Jaufer, A. (2017). The Link between Gender Inequality and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Retrieve from https://roar.media/english/life/in-the-know/the-link-between-gender-inequality-and-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace/
McLaughlin, H., Uggen, C., & Blackstone, A. (2012). Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power. American Sociological Review, 77 (4), 625-647.
Miner-Rubino K., Cortina L. M. (2004). Working in a context of hostility toward women: implications for employees’ well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 9, doi: 107–122. 10.1037/1076-8998.9.2.107
Stamarski, C. S. & Son Hing, L. S. (2015). Gender inequalities in the workplace: The effects of organizational structures, processes, practices, and decision makers’ sexism. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1400. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01400
