Sexual Harassment in the U.S.: Policies, Problems, and Prospects

Abstract

Despite progress made in the USA by the courts and the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in identifying and clarifying sexual harassment, many problems persist. These arise from the difficulty in sufficiently defining the term sexual harassment; the fact that, at present, the offended employee must first give notice of instances of harassment to the employer, rather than directly to the EEOC (putting the employee in an untenable position); and the current guidelines do not encourage the employer to adopt preventative policies towards the whole topic. Fundamentally, the EEOC and the courts must provide more specific, congruent policies concerning notice, remedy, and employer liability. However, for any real progress to be made in the area of sexual harassment, employee attitudes concerning appropriate interactions between the sexes in a work environment must be changed.

Citation

Fryer Cohen, C. and Vincelette, J.P. (1985), "Sexual Harassment in the U.S.: Policies, Problems, and Prospects", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 23-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb010428