Gender Discrimination And Harassment In Organizations
Harassment is seen everywhere, right from schools, colleges, work places to public places. The type of harassment seen varies with different places. But a few types are seen everywhere, whereas others are unique to a particular place. The kind of harassment that is commonly seen in work places is based on the sex of a person. In a work place, gender discrimination and forcing someone for sexual desires are most frequently seen. Women are more commonly affected by this kind of harassment. |
In work places, there is a level of hierarchy maintained based on the qualification and experience of an individual and also according to the need of the firm. So, there exists the difference among the people who work there and often this becomes an advantage for some of the superior grade level officers. They feel it entitles them to harass junior employees. Bowing to the will of supervisors often provides the employee a continued employment and perhaps a promotion in the future.
Employees may be threatened by the senior grade officers if they do not bend to the desires of the officer. The threats may ultimately lead to harassment and the employee often finds it very difficult to continue working at the same place for long and undergo continuous emotional suffocation. Though this kind of harassment is often faced by women, sometimes even men undergo this problem in some of the work places.
Gender discrimination is also seen in some of the work organizations where the female employees are denied genuine promotions and the salary hikes. Even if the salary is hiked, the percentage of hike may not be the same as a male employee working in a similar position. This kind of gender discrimination causes mental disturbance and leads to psychological trauma.
In work places, the other forms of harassment that are commonly seen include criticizing an individual’s perspectives, race, religion, thoughts, and even dress sense. These kinds of harassment are often subdued by the employer itself and there are employers who monitor the work places for a carefree environment and provide sensitivity training to new and old employees, so that they refrain from such behaviors and acts.
There are laws in many countries to help employees who are subjected to gender discrimination and harassment in organizations. The laws that deal with the sex discrimination in the US include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and Equal Pay Act (EPA). A victim of gender discrimination or harassment in an organization can report the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who will investigate and take the necessary action against the perpetrator.
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