Sexual harassment - Essay Example

Sexual harassment The consideration of communicative features of behavior of people through the prism of gender defined, first, as socially and cultural designed sex indicator, and, secondly, as "primary means indicating the attitudes to the authority... and a primary field inside of which or by means of which the authority is articulated" (Boland, 2005), enables us to speak about an involvement of imperious attitudes in gender. On the basis of this it is possible to consider the sexual harassment as a category designed in public interactions both public institutes and producing positions of authority - submission. Sexual harassment is considered as one of the forms of discrimination on the basis of sex in which basis for it is the model: authority - submission. One of the most important criteria which are taken as principle definitions is the fact of undesirability of actions to object of harassment, and also absence of the preliminary consent. And, it should be taken to consideration that to be considered as a victim of sexual harassment, it is not obligatory to be its object. It is enough to be "somebody whom the offensive behavior has affected ". The increasing concern at a national and international level is caused with wide circulations and the losses resulting sexual harassments which represent display of discrimination on sexual motives. Sexual harassments can take place at presence of two conditions. Two forms can accept Sexual harassments: 1) substitution of conditions when the positive changes connected with work - increase of wages, promotion or even prolongation of contact - are put in dependence on the consent of a victim of harassments on participation in sexual actions in any form; Or 2) a hostile climate on work when the management creates conditions of intimidation and insults around of a victim(Boland, 2005). The following kinds of behaviour are considered as sexual harassment: Physical: physical violence over touches, a finding beside needlessly; Verbal: remarks and questions concerning behaviour, a way of life, sexual orientation; phone calls of the offensive maintenance; Nonverbal: singing, gestures of sexual character, display of materials of the sexual maintenance. For the effective struggle against sexual harassments on workplaces the combination of legislative initiatives and legal practice is necessary. Besides the institutes having sufficient financing, and information-explanatory work are necessary. There are some examples of the similar practice are resulted. In the legislation of some countries there are the positions, concerning sexual harassments on work: the Criminal code: India, Tanzania; the Labour code: Chile, Thailand; the Laws on sexual harassments: Brazil, Belize, Philippines, Israel; Laws on gender equality and sexual discrimination: Japan, the republic of South Africa; the National legislation on human rights; Canada, New Zealand; Laws on safe working conditions: the Netherlands. During the last decades of the XXth century have passed under the guise struggle of women for their rights. The American public figure and the publicist Warren Farrell is convinced, that we already for a long time live in conditions of matriarchy. According to Farrell, women during all the XX century were an exclusive class of the western society, and the feminist - their fighting group - have led struggle on destruction of already crushed opponent. Everyone can come to this conclusion that will approach to a question of an equality of sexes, using the system of universal criteria. Since women have received suffrages, they stably, simply by virtue of higher for a long time life, make the majority of electorate. Especially zealously Фаррелл opposes the myth that women during the centuries were the victims of man's oppression, numerous requirements of fair indemnification are based on what statement in the form of profeministic policy. And for many results of the newest sociological researches lead in Britain, show that exactly men most often are the victims of violence in the families. What is considered to be sexual harassment in civilized countries? Not only aspiration of the tyrant to the sexual coitus. Not only the threat, at which victim is offered or to obey to sexual requirements, or to suffer from the consequences, but also and obscene jokes, jokes, hints, indecent touches, - that is any actions unacceptable for the reasonable woman. The woman has the right to keep on the certain standards of behavior at work which should not include sexually directed behavior. The increasing attention of mass media and the public is paid to the problem of sexual harassment on a workplace. In the concept there is nothing essentially new. However in the past it was considered as a personal problem or was simply denied, that did not leave to the victim another choice, except dismissal. With growth of number of working women sexual harassment became so widespread, that has been recognized by infringement of human rights, and the wall of silence surrounded this phenomenon, began to collapse. How to define a side between usual friendly attitudes, good-natured jokes, flirtation and actually harassment? This question is rather uneasy (Boland, 2005). Actions can be qualified as sexual harassment in case when woman feels irrelevance of the similar attitude and feels its aggressive underlying reason. The second important point at the definition of sexual harassment on a workplace is the subordinated position of a victim: it occupied the lower position on a service ladder in relation to the offender (Boland, 2005). The main characteristic of sexual harassment is undesirability of signs of attention. Even flowers, love letters. Phone calls, compliments and songs can be considered as sexual harassment if they are undesirable. Sexual harassment is defined as: sexual offers, requirements of "sexual services" and the other "verbal" or physical actions of sexual property which were laid down as a condition of employment or preservations of work: when the compelled consent or refusal of the woman becomes defining at removal of the decision on employment or preservation of work; when the purpose or result of such actions is influence on labor productivity or creation of frightening, hostile or offensive conditions on a workplace. There are two kinds of sexual harassment: quid pro quo, or request for the request which is expressed by the direct request. Thus the behavior of the man is not desired for the woman and its participation is not voluntary. However, as the majority of women work for money and keys to the position are in hands of the head, whether the consent to similar actions can be voluntary in general? When there is no other choice, it is impossible to recognize behavior voluntary (Boland, 2005). Another kind of sexual harassment is hostile surrounding conditions. It refers to as sexual discrimination. The environment should be rigid enough to change conditions of employment and to create conditions of pressure on a workplace. Definition of conditions of violence over a workplace should be considered from the position of a victim of sexual harassment, i.e. "The reasonable woman" as men and women have various representations about sexually directed behavior. That women consider as simply benevolent or polite behavior, men perceive as the invitation to caring. When women say ‘no’ in the form which they consider valid and comprehensible to colleagues, men consider it to be the flirting. The refusal of division of men and women on work to a sexual attribute is favorable to men as women suffer from sexual harassment basically. So, in conclusion it is worth saying that basically women suffer more from sexual harassment, but the question is if men do not suffer from it because nowadays women became more aggressive and less family-oriented and that is why they are not against to have some relationship especially if it helps promotion. Works cited Boland Mary (2005), Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (Sexual Harassment), Sphinx Publishing Facts About Sexual Harassment http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-sex.html SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY http://eop.ua.edu/sex.html Read More