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Sexual harassment is any unwanted and unwelcome, words, deeds, actions, gestures, symbols, or behaviours of a sexual nature that make your feel uncomfortable, and that you deem to be unsuitable. The harassment can be explicitly implied or subtly inferred. Sexual harassment can happen in any setting, there are no limitations or boundaries to where the harassment can occur. Common effects of this harassment include diminished work and school performance. Inability to concentrate and function at full capacity. It can also cause the environment around you to become socially poisoned, or toxic to the degree where you simply have to leave. Overt None overt A sexual harasser can be anyone. It can be members of the same sex or the opposite sex. It can be people in positions of power, peers, or subordinates. Sexual harassment can be performed by other students, co-workers, strangers on the street, even family. There is no real age barrier for being a sexual harasser. The primary focus for sexual harassment is work and school, because you are in these environments for long periods of time, and in potentially vulnerable situations. Sexual harassment however can and does happen anywhere. On the street, doctors office, church, library, etc. Quid pro quo The dictionary says that Quid pro quo is Latin for "something for something" or "this for that." Quid pro quo harassment can apply to places of employment or educational institutions. There is a barter of sexual favors for goods such as promotions, raises, or good grades. You give me something you get something in return. This type of harasser is commonly seen in positions of power and authority, they use their power as leverage for sexual rewards. This form of harassment is very overt and easy to identify. Poisoned or hostile work environment This is a form of moral and psychological harassment. The harassment is so extreme that it interferes with a student or workers ability to function or perform their normal day to day activities. Normally the bulk of this behaviour is sexually based or directed, however it does not have to be. The harassment can be committed by supervisors, co-workers, managers, other students, staff, etc. Much of this behaviour involves deeming comments, actions, gestures, rumours, deformation of character. The behavior is performed on an ongoing and continual basis, till the individual is unable to function, and they are either forced out or fired. Sexual favoritism If employees or students are getting promotions, raises or good grades due to providing sexual favors, this can also be construed as sexual harassment. The other individuals in the environment who are not being promoted or treated fairly, can charge the organization with sexual harassment. They are not being promoted because of failure to comply. For this effects section the information is garnared from two sources. The definitions and effects were so well done, that I wanted to use them for this portion of the site. The other defintions and content are my attempts to clearify or define sexual harassment. The following definitions are provided by Sexualharassmentsupport.org and webcom.com. The santa monica womans support and shelter services. Confusion --you don't know how to describe to yourself what has been happening Embarrassment -- you may feel embarrassed by the experience Victim-blaming -- Others may be blaming you for what has happened, and the "victim" may now have become the "accused." As in the case of sexual assault and rape, the dress, lifestyle and private life of the victim seem to become more important than the behaviour being investigated. Guilt -- you may feel guilt over what has happened, or be blaming yourself. Shame -- you feel ashamed of what has been happening; you may not want to accept the idea that you are a victim, or feel you should be able to stop the harassment Denial – you don’t want to believe that this is real; those around you may not want to believe this, either. Minimizing – you tell yourself it’s “not that big a deal,” I’m being overly sensitive” or “I’ m being a prude.” You may be hearing this from others. Fear – you are afraid of retaliation by your harassers or harasser's colleagues, your coworkers, or people further-up in the hierarchy at work or school. You may fear being isolated or ostracized by people at work or school. You may be afraid you will get the harasser in trouble when all you want is the behavior to stop. Adaptation -- the abuse may have been going on for a long time, and the targets may feel that nothing can be done. Or, you have been told throughout your life that you should expect to be treated this way, and to "deal with it" silently. Numbing -- You want to distance yourself emotionally from the experience; you may also avoid people and places that remind you of these painful events. Triggers -- you may feel that talking about what happened causes too much pain and/or anxiety, or what is happening in the present could be triggering past experiences with assault or abuse. Invalidation -- you feel that no one will believe you if you were to report what is happening. Defamation -- your motives or character may be under attack, with people saying things to discredit you. Masculinity -- if you are male victim, you may be afraid that it is a reflection on your masculinity for you to not enjoy the sexual attention, or you may be afraid others will question your masculinity or sexual orientation. (3) The effects of sexual harassment overlap in noteworthy ways with other forms of sexual violence. Sexual harassment has some elements in common with incest: it is a betrayal of trust; it is humiliating, which encourages secrecy; it often requires maintained contact with the perpetrator (Hamilton, et al, 1987). Like incest it is often a cumulative series of attacks rather than a single "blitz attack"; unlike sexual assault it does not usually engender fears for one's life or of mutilation (Koss,1990). Sexual harassment victims who seek action suffer a second victimization when the system and the community supports and protects the harasser; they have this in common with sexual assault victims who go to court. And in common with crime victims, the consequences of their victimization may include physical hardship, loss of income, delays in proceedings, administrative neglect, and lack of proper information (Salisbury, Grigono, Remick, and Stringer, 1986). Emotional repercussions may include: High level of anxiety and stress, low tolerance for frustration, depression, nervousness, emotional instability, discontentment, fear, anger, an inability to concentrate, anxiety, deep sense of guilt, loss of confidence, feelings of humiliation, and a sense of helplessness and vulnerability (Koss, 1990, Quina, 1990). Women often fear that they will be blamed, doubted, judged, socially ostracized, or fired. Women may be slow to take care of themselves and seek support, since we learn to put men's feelings first, and we are discouraged from recognizing our own. Significant others may feel confused and unable to support. She may become isolated in this challenging time. The woman may become preoccupied with the harassment, how to stop it and' or what it signifies; this can interfere with her normal functioning. She may have to go to great lengths to try to avoid the harassment. She has suffered a violation of boundaries, this can damage one's sense of power and autonomy, and one's sense of self worth. The emotional effects can be much like that suffered after a sexual assault. As often results from sexual assault, a woman's assumptions about life may have been profoundly challenged and she may need to generate a new world of meaning; this element often overlaps with post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. In being forced to accommodate to other's judgments about the abuse she may develop a damaged sense of self (Koss,1990). Her work performance may decline under the strain, thus setting her in a worsening feedback cycle. Physical symptoms may include: stomach aches, gastro-intestinal disturbances, jaw tightness, teeth grinding, anxiety attacks, binge eating, headaches, nausea, inability to sleep, tiredness, weight loss, crying spells, physical/psychic break-down and hospitalization (Koss, 1990; Rabinowitz, 1990, Quina, 1990). A 1982 survey by Alfred Marks of the Employment Bureau showed that 8% of all employees reported suffering various forms of physical and depressive illnesses as a result of sexual harassment (quoted in Koss, 1990). Professional/practical losses. In the case of sexual harassment by an academic advisor, the evaluation of her work can become enmeshed in the sexual dynamic. The professional relationship is forever affected. A student may be forced to forgo work, research, educational comfort, and possibly a career. A 1983 study on Harvard students found that 15% of graduate students surveyed and 12% of undergraduates who experienced sexual harassment changed their academic major or educational program as a result (cited in Fitzgerald and Schulman, 1987). She may have to forfeit the degree she is pursuing and may not be able to continue in that field. At work she may feel compelled to quit, and legal recourse may seem like an expensive pipe dream. She may suddenly be out a job, perhaps with a child to support. This is a harsh price to pay for someone else's sexual indiscretions. She may lose income and seniority built up at her current position. She will have a disrupted work history, problems with references, and often fail to qualify for unemployment. (Hamilton, 1987) Her educational' career options may be fundamentally altered, sometimes indirectly, by others knowing that she took this action. The accused is legally prohibited from "retaliating." However, it is a mistake to assume that he can not retaliate in full measure: his allies and sympathizers in the company or field are free to retaliate on his behalf. This can often be a smart political move on their part. They can interfere with her progress and make it impossible for her to continue in that field (or company or career). The decision process. Most women who are sexually harassed choose to keep silent. Formal complaints were filed or investigations requested by only 5% of women who had experienced sexual harassment, according to one survey (U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board 1987). The reasons cited by 90% of sexual harassment victims for reluctance to come forward were: fear of retaliation and fear of loss of privacy (Klein1991). These are valid reasons. The decision process can be a preoccupying project of soul searching, and of weighing possible risks of keeping silent or of speaking up. She must also struggle to structure a meaning around what happened which can provide a grounding for her decision making. Sexual harassment can be profoundly confusing, as women become caught in a web of illusory crossed boundaries and often feel partially responsible. As a preoccupying and disturbing process, the period when she is deciding what to do can interfere with her personal and professional life and constitutes another injury. If she decides to keep silent she faces either the continuation of the sexual harassment and/or its effects (which may be intolerable). Speaking up might not be an option if her boss is unsympathetic and she does not have the money to sue. "To the extent that women have a decision about [speaking out]..., it is fundamentally a choice between miserable alternatives: to speak out and become a pariah; or to suffer in silence" (Hamilton et al, 1987). There is a price for speaking up. In general, in taking formal action, a woman puts herself on the chopping block in order to make things better for the next woman, but it can make her own situation much worse. Women generally take formal action not to solve their own situation, but because they feel compelled to spare future women what they have been through. If a woman is looking to make her own situation livable, taking formal action may be the last thing she wants to do. She must assess the relative costs in her specific situation. Speaking up can be worse than the harassment. Helen Watson, a sociologist, interviewed women who had been sexually harassed about their experiences, and came to this conclusion: To make a formal accusation is an act of desperation -- to take on the establishment in ignorance of the consequences, the act of a weak individual against a stronger opposition which tends to cluster around the accused. The outcome is to be labeled a trouble maker, to risk hostility or isolation from colleagues, to force others to take sides and in general to make the situation worse. ... [One] woman added, 'Facing up to the crime and having to deal with it in public is probably worse than suffering in silence. I found it to be a lot worse than the harassment itself.' Even those women who had initiated a public case which resulted in the harasser being disciplined stress that they would not take the same course of action again in a similar situation. There is full agreement with the perception that making an accusation is worse than having to tolerate the harassment on both a personal and a professional level." (emphasis mine.) (Watson, 1994) The following is a partial list of some of the main things which a woman might encounter in the aftermath of speaking up about sexual harassment, based on my personal experience: Her social environment may be entirely transformed. If only some people know, she may constantly wonder who knows and what they are thinking. She may overhear conversations of her superiors about her case. She may become the subject of juicy gossip and wild misinformation and speculation. He may be conducting his own campaign of misinformation. She will be judged by all who know about it, whether positively or negatively. This is a huge burden to carry through your work environment. Her support network may be torn. The environment in which it happened may be a big part of her life and her social sphere as well. it can be turned upside down in the wake of a complaint. if she does not have a strong network of friends outside of that sphere, she can become highly isolated. Those who she would ordinarily rely on for support may have mixed loyalties or may turn against her altogether. They also may not be free to support her for their own political reasons. If the proceedings are confidential, she can be isolated from potential supporters because she can't bring it up. Because it's a subject which has meaning for a lot of people, even those who are not connected to the particular job or school may have mixed reactions to her dilemma. One advantage could be that she will find out who her real friends at work or school are. However, she may lose some friends whom she would still rather have kept. Also, she is more in need of friends now than usual. There may be a series of intrigues which continually intrude upon her ability to do her work as usual. She is now no longer an ordinary student or employee, she is part of a major underground drama. She may be called away for meetings with people high up, she may get urgent confidential letters and phone calls. Fellow women coworkers may be her best friends or worst enemies. They have the potential to be sources of support and validation. If they went through it too, they could become allies in the process. However, fellow women may also be the least sympathetic. This could be due to internalized sexism, or they may even feel threatened by her, either because she had the guts to speak up for herself, or because they are jealous for her sexual attention. She becomes publicly sexualized, a walking icon of misplaced amorous attentions. Is she attractive enough to get in trouble over? Additional effects in the aftermath of speaking up. Suppressed anger: she is cast as the aggressor; she may feel she must come across as non threatening and as non angry as possible. She is pressured to show caring for the accused, and compassion for his plight. However, through her various struggles, she will become stronger and will know herself better. Opportunities to really take a stand on what one believes in are rare, and even if undesirable, they can have positive effects as well. She is on the front line of a battle for women's rights. Another significant effect can arise from the outcome. In many cases, she may have paid a tremendous price for nothing. (21) Like other forms of harassment, it comes down to the what can I get away with factor. Here are some things that you can do to fight or bring awareness to the issue of sexual harassment. 1. Sexual Harassment Support. -Support and information for sexual harassment. 2. WOMEN'S CRISIS SUPPORT and SHELTER SERVICES. -Sexual harassment resource. |