Workplace Sexual harassment is extremely common for women and quite concerning for men in the United States today.
It turns out that out of every four women, one of them has been the victim of sexual harassment at work –and a quarter of working men say that they worry about false claims of sexual harassment from other employees.
When speaking about the topic of sexual harassment in this country, 64 percent overall, believe it to be a problem; but an astounding 88 percent of women alone, indicate they have been harassed either at work or in everyday life.
Though the numbers may appear to be steep, it turns out that they have decreased quite a bit from 20 years ago. Back in 1992, more people believed it to be a problem –an astronomical 85 percent, in fact. Just one year previously, the confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court nominee was accused by former co-worker Anita Hill of sexual harassment.
Women who have experienced harassment is also down, with the numbers originally being 32 percent according to surveys back in 1992 and mid-1994 to now being 24 percent, which could be a sign of positive changes. Furthermore out of women who say they have been sexually harassed, it turns out that more are reporting it to their employer –41 percent as opposed to the 33 percent back in 1994; and the number of men who have concerns about false accusations has diminished from 31 percent to 25 percent at this time. It’s possible that percentage may have gone down because fewer men have indicated they’ve done or said things that may be interpreted as sexual harassment – 25 percent in 1994, and 10 percent now.
For those who have gone through sexual harassment but chose not to report it, four in 10 did not think it would do any good or were concerned about the consequences following the complaint. And only 56 percent of women felt that if they did report sexual harassment it would be handled in a fair manner.
Workplace Sexual Harassment Attorneys | New York City – Philadelphia – New Jersey
It may be discouraging to view the above statistics knowing that so many employees continue to be subjected to sexual harassment day to day. And even though the percentages may have slightly improved, it appears they could still be a great deal better.
If you have been the victim of sexual harassment at your place of work, recognizing that it is harassment is the first and most important step.
Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome sexual advances, groping and touching but it also includes pornography, graphic images of men and/or women, naked or semi-naked, jokes of offensive or sexual nature.
It is illegal to harass anyone because of that person’s sex; whether that person is an employee or a job applicant. Harassment may consist of requests for sexual favors and other physical or verbal harassment of a sexual nature. However harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, it may simply be offensive. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about a woman in general.
Also, both harasser and victim can be either a man or a woman and the harasser and victim can be the same sex.
While the law does not prevent simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in a negative employment decision (such as the employee being demoted or fired).
The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.
The New York City, New Jersey & Philadelphia Sexual Harassment Attorneys at the Derek Smith, we are passionate about fighting for your employment law rights. | NY – NJ – PA
If you or someone you know has been the victim of workplace sexual harassment, discrimination or working in a hostile job environment, then you should contact an NYC, NJ, PA sexual harassment and employment law attorney immediately at the Derek Smith Law Group PLLC. Call today to schedule your FREE Consultation. You can reach us by calling 877-469-5297 or online. We serve clients throughout New York, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. We also have offices in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Miami to serve you.
