What is sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment is a type of gender discrimination. It is any unwelcome sexual advance or conduct on the job that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. It is any offensive conduct related to an employee’s gender that a reasonable woman or man should not have to endure.
Sexual harassment is when a person says or does something sexual to another person that makes that person uncomfortable. It is when a person makes a comment; usually about something sexual that they would like to do with someone else or about how the other person looks. These types of comments are unwanted and are inappropriate. They go beyond a person’s boundaries of what he or she believes is right or wrong. If someone is bothering you about something sexual or they are pressuring you to do something you don’t want to do, it may be sexual harassment. This is illegal and violates your rights. If you are sexually harassed or someone made you feel uncomfortable, tell an adult right away who you trust and who will help you. Don’t feel ashamed or guilty, and don’t believe you have done anything wrong.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: • It is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, education, living environment or participation in a University activity; • Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for or a factor in decisions affecting that individual’s employment, education, living environment, or participation in a University activity; or • Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work, education, or living environment, or participation in a University activity.
A. Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects a person’s employment or education, unreasonably interferes with a person’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. It is a form of gender discrimination and violates both federal and State law.
