Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the definition of sexual harassment?
What is the definition of sexual harassment?
Unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment.
Which of the following actions could be considered sexual harassment? (Select all that apply)
Which of the following actions could be considered sexual harassment? (Select all that apply)
Conduct is NOT sexual harassment if it is ______.
Conduct is NOT sexual harassment if it is ______.
welcome
Non-sexual conduct can never be considered sexual harassment.
Non-sexual conduct can never be considered sexual harassment.
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What must the conduct of the harasser be classified as to be considered sexual harassment?
What must the conduct of the harasser be classified as to be considered sexual harassment?
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What is one question to ask yourself to determine if your comments are unwanted?
What is one question to ask yourself to determine if your comments are unwanted?
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What actions are involved in sexual orientation harassment?
What actions are involved in sexual orientation harassment?
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Study Notes
Sexual Harassment Definition
- Unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive.
- Creates a hostile work environment.
- Conduct is NOT sexual harassment if it is welcome.
- It is important to communicate to the harasser that the conduct makes you uncomfortable and you want it to stop.
Types of Harassment
- Verbal/Written: Comments about clothing, personal behavior, or a person’s body; sexual or sex-based jokes; requesting sexual favors or repeatedly asking a person out; sexual innuendoes; telling rumors about a person's personal or sexual life; threatening a person, sending emails or text messages of a sexual nature.
- Physical: Assault; impeding or blocking movement; inappropriate touching of a person or a person’s clothing; kissing.
- Nonverbal: Looking up and down a person’s body; derogatory gestures or facial expressions of a sexual nature; following a person.
- Visual: Posters, drawings, pictures, screensavers, emails or text of a sexual nature.
Non-Sexual Conduct
- Non-sexual conduct may also be sexual harassment if you are harassed because you are female, rather than male, or because you are male, rather than female.
- For example, it may be sexual harassment if you are a woman working as a carpenter on an all-male job, and you are the only one whose tools are frequently hidden by your male co-workers.
Sexual Orientation Harassment
- Examples of sexual orientation harassment include stating or implying in a joking or negative manner that an employee is a gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, gender non-confirming or heterosexual individual.
- Making jokes about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, gender non-confirming or heterosexual individuals.
- Inquiring into the sexual practices of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, gender non-confirming or heterosexual individuals as a group.
- Using derogatory slang about a gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, gender non-confirming or heterosexual individual.
- Repeatedly expressing negative opinions about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, gender non-confirming or heterosexual individuals.
- Any harassing activity that is directed towards an employee due to the employee’s sexual orientation, or that is negative about differing sexual orientations, can constitute sexual orientation harassment.
Discussion of Intent vs. Impact
- Ask yourself:
- Is there equal power between me and the person I'm interacting with?
- Is there equal initiation and participation between me and the person I'm interacting with?
- Would I behave the same way if the person I'm in a relationship with were standing next to me?
- Would I want someone else to act this way toward a person that I'm in a relationship with?
- Would I want any of those behaviors to be the subject of a column in my agency’s newsletters or to appear on the evening news?
- Have I examined and acknowledged my sex-role stereotypes?
"Severe or Pervasive"
- The conduct of the harasser must be either severe or pervasive to be classified as sexual harassment.
- Although a single unwanted request for a date or one sexually suggestive comment might offend you and/or be inappropriate, it may not be sexual harassment.
- However, a number of relatively minor separate incidents may add up to sexual harassment if the incidents affect your work environment.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- How many times did the incidents occur?
- How long has the harassment been going on?
- How many others have been subjected to this behavior?
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Description
This quiz explores the definition and types of sexual harassment. It covers unwelcome conduct, its impact on the workplace, and the importance of communication in addressing harassment. Understanding these aspects is crucial for creating a safe environment.
