'Sexual harassment is not about sex, it is about
power.' -Gretchen Morgenson
An unwanted sexual advance, an offensive touch,
and suggestive comments illustrate examples of sexual
harassment. Sexual harassment is defined by Stephanie
Riger as, 'unwanted sexually oriented behavior in a work
context.' However, sexual harassment does not only
appear in an occupational environment, and this form of
harassment is not limited to a specific race, a specific
gender, or any certain lifestyle. Today, throughout the
United States, men and women are filing sexual
harassment lawsuits as if sexual harassment were no
great matter. A line needs to be drawn to distinguish
what is and is not sexual harassment, but since sexual
harassment is so subjective, a simple line becomes
harder to draw. Some people want punishment for hostile
environment harassment, but what constitutes a hostile
environment? According to Morgenson a hostile
environment includes 'hazing, joking, and sexually
suggestive talk between men and women who work alongside
them.' Lately, it seems that Americans are making sexual
harassment an excuse. People are crying sexual
harassment like the little boy who cried wolf.
Sexual harassment has become such an issue due
to the large number of cases presented. When Anita
Hill, law professor at the University of Oklahoma,
brought allegations of sexual
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harassment against Supreme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas, the whole world started listening. This case
was 'the most celebrated sexual harassment case of our
time,' according to Martha Chamallas, and 'Hill's
revelations prompted women to tell about their own
encounters with sexually harassing behavior-both in
private and in public.' This case gave women a reason
to report sexual harassment, and sexual harassment would
no longer be overlooked. Women would no longer have to
'flatter' their bosses, as Erica Jong had to.
Consequently, since Anita Hill came out and...