Why employers must against working place sexual harassment ? Sexual harassment is about power, not about sex || Poverty, race, language, and other barriers also put women at risk

What does sexual harassment look like?

Sexual harassment can take many forms

Sexual harassment is sexual behaviour that is unwanted. Often the harasser is someone in a position of formal authority, but harassment occurs between co-workers or peers as well. Men are sometimes harassed, but most of the victims of harassment are women.¹The harasser is almost always male.²

Sometimes the harassment is directed at a particular woman. It could be in the form of suggestive comments, pressure for sexual contact, or demands for sex in return for a job or other benefit. It can involve unwanted sexual touching or rape (both are sexual assault). Sexual harassment also happens when sexual jokes, sexist remarks, or pin-ups create a hostile and intimidating environment for women.

Sometimes the harassment is also directed at a woman's racial or cultural background, sexual orientation, disability, or other personal characteristics.³ In these cases, the woman is multiply victimized. For example, racial minority women face prejudice and discrimination on two grounds; often, their harassment involves both racism and sexism.

Sexual harassment of women is widespread

Virtually every woman has experienced street harassment - whistles, sexual remarks, or touching by strangers in public places.⁴

Women also contend with unwanted sexual advances at work or school. In a recent national poll, more than 1/3 of the women who had worked outside the home said that they had been sexually harassed on the job.⁵ Surveys of students at Canadian universities have found that about half of the women respondents have experienced some kind of sexual harassment on campus.⁶ It also happens in other situations: women have reported sexual abuse by their doctors,⁷ therapists,⁸ lawyers,⁹ landlords, and neighbours.¹⁰

Sexual harassment is about power, not about sex

It is an abuse of power, the social and economic power that men hold over women. When men use their power to treat women sexually in a non-sexual context, they interfere with women's right to work, to learn, to walk on the street without fear, and to be treated as equal and respected participants in public life. Like other kinds of woman abuse, sexual harassment both reflects and reinforces women's unequal position in our society.

Workplace harassment reflects women's economic inequality

Despite laws against discrimination in the workplace, women generally remain in poorly paid, lower status, and less secure jobs. More than twice as many women as men work in clerical, sales, and service occupations.¹¹Women continue to be under-represented in managerial and leadership positions in our economy.

When women do enter non-traditional fields -- whether blue-collar or professional -- they may face harassment from hostile male co workers.¹² Over 90% of women who responded to a "Women In Trades" survey said that they had been sexually harassed.¹³ A study of large U.S. corporations found that the highest rates of sexual harassment complaints are at companies with the lowest percentage of women workers.¹⁴

Poverty, race, language, and other barriers also put women at risk

Being at risk economically can be aggravated by other social differences. In a Montreal study of sexual discrimination against women tenants by landlords and neighbours, single mothers and women on welfare reported the highest levels of sexual harassment.¹⁵ Immigrant women, who often occupy the most low paying and least secure positions in the work force, may lack the support groups and language skills that are necessary to confront harassment.¹⁶

Sexual assault and sexual harassment can have serious consequences

Not all women react the same way, but many women feel degraded and humiliated by sexual harassment. Some women feel confused. They question their own feelings and reactions, before they realize that the harasser is responsible for the problem. They are angry, anxious, and, if the harassment persists, may become depressed and demoralized.

The emotional strain can cause physical illnesses such as nausea, headaches, and fatigue. It can affect a woman's personal life, and the quality of her work.¹⁷ She may be fired, or forced to leave her job or school program to avoid the harasser. Loss of self-confidence, health problems, unfair evaluations, poor references, and a disrupted work record can have a long-term economic impact, such as not being able to find another job.

Sexual harassment is against the law

Canadian law prohibits sexual harassment. Federal, provincial, and territorial human rights commissions are responsible for investigating and resolving harassment complaints. Employers have been held accountable for sexual harassment in the workplace.¹⁸ As a result, many large companies, unions, universities, professional bodies, and other institutions have adopted their own policies against sexual harassment.

Yet many women still feel they have few options

Only 4 of every 10 Canadian women who suffer sexual harassment at work take any formal action. Only one out of every two women believe that a complaint would be taken seriously in their workplace.¹⁹

Often, women who report harassment are not believed, are discredited, or are even blamed for the problem by their colleagues. As well, the harasser may retaliate. Legal action is slow, stressful, and expensive; and awards are usually small.²⁰ Publicity surrounding a complaint may hurt a woman's job prospects and personal life. Few women can afford to take these risks.

The real solution is equality for women

Human rights agencies should be made more effective and accessible, and should provide better compensation to women who are sexually harassed. But human rights law by itself cannot end sexual harassment. The fundamental solution to sexual harassment is social, economic, and political equality for women.

What you can do

Speak out! Raise the issue of harassment in your workplace or institution. Give a copy of this fact sheet to someone who could benefit from reading it. Support women who are harassed.

If you are harassed:

• Remember that it's not your fault. The harasser is responsible for his own behaviour.
• The harassment most likely won't stop if you ignore it; it may actually get worse. ²¹
• Find friends or colleagues who will support you. Other women probably have been harassed by the same man.²²
• Contact a rape crisis centre or women's centre to talk to other women who understand your situation. They can help you with ideas and strategies.
• Protect yourself by keeping a detailed written record of every incident.
• Ask the harasser to stop - in person or in writing. Take someone with you as a witness and for support.
• If it continues, find out about other options: Does your union, workplace, or institution have a procedure for dealing with sexual harassment complaints? Whom can you count on to support you? Is there a group of women who can act together?
• If you lose your job or suffer other reprisals, or your complaint isn't taken seriously, get advice about filing a complaint with a human rights commission, or suing the harasser and/or his employer.
• You are entitled to Unemployment Insurance if you are fired or leave your job because of sexual harassment. In some provinces, Worker's Compensation Boards have awarded compensation to women who have suffered stress-related disability caused by sexual harassment on the job.²³
• If you have been sexually assaulted, call a rape crisis centre. They can help you with emotional and practical support as well as information about criminal charges and other legal action.
• Finally, remember that there isn't one right way to handle sexual harassment. Seek advice, find out about your options, and then make your own informed decision about how to proceed. Only you can know what is best for you in your own situation.