Male Sexual Harassment in the Work Place on the Rise

Sexual harassment in the workplaces is a well-known issue that thousands of women encounter on a daily basis. But now there is a growing trend of men filing claims of harassment in the workplace.

According to a report by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission there were a record amount of harassment complaints filed by men in 2006. The figures given in the report state that of the 12,025 sexual harassment claims made in 2006 15.4 percent of these claims came from men. This shows a significant increase of male harassment cases made in the last ten years of 4.5.

Findlaw has reported that the majority of the sexual harassment cases filed by men were stating that the harassment was perpetrated by other men.

Since there is not any significant increase in total number of people in employment these statistics can be looked at in two ways. Firstly on the surface it can be viewed as a worrying increase in the amount of harassment men are suffering in the work place. Secondly it may not necessarily mean that there is a real increase in harassment but more an increase in reporting sexual harassment. In the past it may not of been seen as something a man would do, that he should just grin and bear it. But now men are realising that admitting to these issues doesn't take away any of their man hood, hence more men are coming forward and filing complaints.

Regardless of the real reason for the increase in sexual harassment in the workplace complaints by men the report brings to light a problem that has been brushed under the carpet for years. According to a quote in Yahoo news the executive director of the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, Riki Wilchins, "There's no question this is not only a growing category of claims, but also a large societal problem of which we are just starting to see the tip of the iceberg."

On possible reason for the increase in male awareness and willingness to accept they have been subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace is the laws willingness to recognize it as an issue. In 1998 a significant Supreme Court ruling found that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 same-sex sexual harassment was a type of discrimination protected within the Act.

Rike Wilchins is also quoted as saying this is not a new problem "But the kind of abrasive, sexualised horseplay that might have been acceptable 10 years ago is actionable today." Men do not have to put up with it any more; they too are protected and can make a complaint about sexual harassment in the work place. Most of the cases according to Wilchins occur between straight males demonstrating their masculinity.

So how do you know if you are being harassed in the work place? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides a few signs that you should consider. These are giving into or pushing away "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. You should also be concerned if the harassment is affecting your ability to do your job and work is becoming an "intimidating, hostile or offensive" place to be.

If you feel you are being harassed in the workplace the best thing to do is begin your complaint at work. You workplace should have some kind of procedure in place for reporting harassment. Begin by following company procedure.

If work does not have a good procedure to help or is simply not resolving the issue then the next step is to make a complaint directly to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency will then proceed with an investigation into your claim and attempt to resolve to issue and if it comes to it, file a lawsuit for you.

Sources
Yahoo News
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Find Law News