Sexual harassment workplace authority and the paradox of power

Sexual Harassment, Power & Vulnerability

Cox-Royster 1

J’Nia Cox-Royster

GWSW 402

Dr. Landweber

3 April 2018

Truth & Lies Regarding Sexual Harassment

Introduction

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination leveled against an individual based on

his/her sexual orientation. This type of discrimination is a crime for which often its undertones

are directly linked to the need for control over a certain person or group of people. Men are

responsible for sexual harassment against women, a common crime that has devastating effects

on its victims. By acquiring powerful positions, men often prey on vulnerable individuals or

groups who have no alternative to the despicable crime1. Sexual harassment at the workplace and

the authority involvement coupled with power has been said to be the underlying factor of many

feminists’ claims of sexual harassment (McLaughlin et al., 2012). With this, questions have been

raised regarding the issue thereby heightening the need for additional studies and development of

policies as legal measures through which the problem can be addressed. Therefore, the act has

been criminalized with sensitization campaigns used as efforts towards educating women on

their rights and advocating for standing up against this heinous crime.

1 McDonald, Paula, and Sara Charlesworth. "Workplace sexual harassment at the margins." Work, employment and society 30, no. 1 (2016): 118-134.

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History- Trump’s case

Sexual harassment goes way back, and many powerful men have been seen to be the key

contributors. Donald Trump has been accused by 19 women of several sexual misconduct

claims2. He is allegedly responsible for harassing the women by going backstage when they were

naked and the use of sexual innuendo when talking to them. According to the testimony of the

victims, this made them feel guilty as they were not attracted to his unwarranted behavior.

Similar assertions have been echoed by the different women who filed the sexual misconduct

claims. As such, Trump used the authoritative position that he held over these women who were

vulnerable3. Inappropriate dominant behavior by men is a form of assault against women that

should be prohibited. In most cases, sexual harassment is about power, a person in an

authoritative position controlling the other individual.

Additionally, Trump’s accusation is an example of how men in authoritative position

abuse their power by discriminating against women. As such, women are more vulnerable to

sexual harassment compared to men who occupy powerful positions in the working environment.

With this, it can be acknowledged that sexual discrimination is being practiced in elevated levels.

However, underreporting of this issue has impacted the efficacy of the legislation and policies

2 Cooney, Samantha. These Are the Women Who Have Accused President Trump of Sexual Misconduct. (2017)

3 Cooney, Samantha. These Are the Women Who Have Accused President Trump of Sexual Misconduct. (2017)

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enacted to curb its escalation4. Therefore, sexual harassment is a practice that necessitates

additional research.

Women are vulnerable to sexual harassment but fail to report this in the work settings for

fear of repercussions that might emanate from it. Therefore, this calls for additional policies that

protect sexual harassment victims from intimidation by the predators who held authoritative

positions. For example, the sexual misconduct claims against President Donald Trump were

underreported during their occurrence as the vulnerable women feared of the impending

repercussions.

Women victimization

Before the 1970s, sexual harassment was considered an acceptable behavior in the

society. However, this was bound to change after a woman filed a lawsuit in 1974 indicating that

she was inappropriately dismissed from her job by refusing to have sexual relation with her

manager5. Subsequently, this was followed suit by additional lawsuits by women activists who

stated that sexual harassment is a form of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

of 1964. By 1980, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provided

guidelines that defined sexual harassment within the workplace6. Currently, sexual harassment in

4 Keltner, Dacher. What the Science of Power Can Tell Us about Sexual Harassment. (2017)

5 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

6 Hejase, Hussin Jose. "Sexual harassment in the workplace: An exploratory study from Lebanon." Journal of Management Research 7, no. 1 (2015): 107-121.

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the working environment is recognized as sexual discrimination which is punishable by law.

Besides, sexual discrimination is recognized as the violation of fundamental human rights7.

Despite this, this type of discrimination is still pervasive as organizational policies are yet to curb

its escalation.

The power that they get in holding a higher position at work paradoxically is the

underlying root of their problem. The higher position threatens the males who then feel the need

to ‘equalize’ and therefore retaliate by either physically or verbally harassing the women as a

means to even the odds in their favour. These dynamics pose a threat and thus environmental

unfriendliness at the workplace8. The vulnerability created by this opportunity creates an avenue

for which women are forced to seem emotionally detached from their peers and to appear

tougher and thus unapproachable. This perception makes them create a security wall that is often

mistaken for being cold and unfeeling; a term often referred to as ‘bitchiness’ or ‘ice queen’.

This in itself becomes another form of discrimination for the women in this position, resulting in

a categorization of a certain “type” of woman that is sexually harassed. The case is not reflected

on the men since if they appear cold, they are often regarded as being serious and business

minded. The fact that more supervisory women have reported this issue shows the frequency of

them being sexually harassed thereby creating an isolation that is uncomfortable. This might be

7 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

8 McLaughlin, Heather, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. "Sexual harassment, workplace authority, and the paradox of power." American sociological review 77, no. 4 (2012): 625-647.

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one of the reasons why women choose to not report sexual harassment issues while still in their

higher positions and only do so after they have left their occupations.

In other instances, the vulnerability of women to sexual harassment is stemmed from an

economic factor. In this aspect, income comes into play. Mature women are considered to be

most of the victims in this category. The position these women find themselves are one in which

management has more power than them. More often than not, these women feel the need to let it

happen to them in order to not jeopardize their income. In this aspect, the male in power’s

behavior pattern demonstrates a growth in egoism until they no longer recognize what others

feel. In this way, men holding the power believe that they are more in control of their

surroundings and therefore mistakenly assume that women are more attracted to them. In making

these assumptions, the men in power often end up sexually harassing women and regrettably

pass it off as normal social behaviors.

Different Reactions, Then and Now

Surveys have documented that sexual harassment is a widespread practice in the

community. Unlike today, sexual harassment was not perceived as a crime in the past. As such,

the prevalence of sexual harassment was enhanced, particularly against women. Most of the

victims were more likely to be younger women who hold lower power positions within the

working environment. Besides, most of the women who encountered sexual harassment were

supervised by members of the opposite sex while some worked in male-dominated occupations9.

Despite the existence of organizational policies that seek to protect this vulnerable group from

9 Keltner, Dacher. What the Science of Power Can Tell Us about Sexual Harassment. (2017)

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harassment, women barely stood up against sexual harassment10. Research highlights that the

major deterrent factor is underreporting of the incidents after their occurrence. A similar trend

was evident in the past as women, most of them in lower positions of power, did not come out

for fear of damaging their reputation or losing their jobs. The underreporting of sexual

harassment by women in the past reduced the efficacy of workplace policies as this legislation

depends on reporting to form a basis for discouraging the act.

Additionally, female workers who opt to report the incidents were more likely to face

retaliation from their peers, especially in a male-dominated occupation11. Considerably, the

manifestation of sexual harassment is intensified by the inappropriate use of power by men

holding senior executive roles. Primarily, this is enhanced by the fact that men in power presume

that women in lower positions are sexually attracted to them which might not be the case. By

overestimating the sexual interest of their junior workers, they sexualize their work by looking

for opportunities to exercise their desires. With this, women are unable to report the different

forms of harassments they face for fear of losing their jobs. With no legislation to protect this

practice in the past, women coming out would often face prejudicial reactions from the opposite

sex. Therefore, fear of retaliation has significantly inhibited women from reporting the different

forms of sexual harassment they have encountered in the past.

Women activists influenced the recognition of sexual harassment as an illegal act within

the workplace. Having been shunned down by the opposite sex for years, the feminists have

10 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

11 Keltner, Dacher. What the Science of Power Can Tell Us about Sexual Harassment. (2017)

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become influential figures to their peers by urging them to stand up against any form of sexual

harassment. For example, a woman filed a lawsuit in 1974 indicating that she was

inappropriately dismissed from her job by refusing to have sexual relation with her manager12. It

is through this that the courts highlighted employment laws did not seek to protect women from

sexual harassment. In 1980, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

provided guidelines that defined sexual harassment within the workplace13.

These organizational policies seek to protect women from any form of sexual harassment.

As such, more women are standing up against sexual violence by men holding powerful

positions. Recently, approximately 18 women have accused president Trump of sexual

misconduct in their different encounters14. In this regard, the women, with the support of

feminist legislators, want Congress to investigate the multiple allegations leveled against him.

Additionally, some legislators are calling for his resignation on the notion that this is an abuse of

the office of the president. Therefore, women in today’s society are encouraged to come out and

report incidents of sexual harassment. Unlike the past, women now air their voices to garner

support from public opinion.

Men Facing Sexual Harassment

12 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

13 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

14 Cooney, Samantha. These Are the Women Who Have Accused President Trump of Sexual Misconduct. (2017)

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The feminist theories of sexual harassment have in the past emphasized on the different

forms of sexual violence exercised against women15. The prevailing perception is the paradox of

power. With this, men in powerful positions are being accused of taking advantage of women in

less powerful positions within the work context. Despite this, studies suggest that men face

sexual harassment but it is highly underreported. While sexual harassment is common among

women, men too are victims. For example, a study survey in 11 northern European countries

highlight that 30-50% of the cases reported was of women while men accounted for 10% of the

sexual harassment incidents16. Implicitly, it can be acknowledged that there is a relatively low

prevalence of sexual harassment against men.

However, is this contributed by underreporting of cases? Unlike women, men have a

relatively low number of support groups that sensitize the public on sexual harassment against

this gender type. As such, it is considered almost impossible to be in existence. With this, most

forms of sexual harassment against men often go unreported. Thus, this might contribute to the

low number of cases of men facing sexual harassment.

Like women, most male victims of sexual harassment are young and hold lower positions

within their workplace. The common forms of sexual harassment faced by men comprise of

inappropriate comments and touching. While this might be different from that of their female

counterparts, the reality is that most men suffer in silence as they fear retaliation for speaking

against such practices. Studies by US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

15 McLaughlin, Heather, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. "Sexual harassment, workplace authority, and the paradox of power." American sociological review 77, no. 4 (2012): 625-647.

16 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

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highlights that out of the 7,809 sexual harassment cases reported in 2011, 16.1% was reported by

men. By 2013, a similar study highlights that the figures have risen to roughly 17.6%17. This is

an indication of the rise of this trend but reports still emphasize that most men are suffering in

silence due to fear of retaliation or losing their jobs. There are extensive researches which cover

the effect of sexual harassment against women but the same cannot be stated for the male

counterparts. Despite this, this form of sexual harassment is gaining more media attention

thereby highlighting that its prevalence is on the rise.

Serious consequences can stem from different forms of sexual harassment including

reduced job prospects and emotional consequences. However, these implications have often been

associated with women as limited studies have been conducted to determine the adverse effects

of this practice against men. Accordingly, the recent trends highlight that most men chose to

suffer in silence. As such, male victims of sexual harassment are prone to emotional distress due

to the lack of supporting groups to propagate their cause18. The main forms of sexual

harassments reported by men include sexual coercion that involves job-related threats, unwanted

sexual attention, advances, and gender harassment within the workplace. The latter is the

common form of harassment faced by men as most women in powerful positions communicate

powerful feminist ideals to target them. In most incidents of sexual harassment, men have been

identified as the perpetrators of the notion that they abuse their powerful positions. Despite this,

men are a minority group who are vulnerable to unwanted treatment due to lack of support from

17 HerscH, Joni. "Sexual harassment in the workplace." IZA World of Labor (2015).

18 McLaughlin, Heather, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. "Sexual harassment, workplace authority, and the paradox of power." American sociological review 77, no. 4 (2012): 625-647.

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interest groups. Therefore, women who are propagating strong feminist ideals exercise gender-

based violence against men which is a form of sexual harassment that is unspoken.

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