Does Sexual Harassment Only Impact Women in the Workplace?

There are many myths and misconceptions about sexual harassment, including who it impacts. Many people very incorrectly assume that sexual harassment only affects women. While women are certainly subject to sexual harassment in the workplace, sexual harassment can affect anyone regardless of sex or gender. Our South Florida sexual harassment lawyers can provide you with more information about sexual harassment and moving forward with a charge or claim if you have experienced quid pro quo or hostile work environment sexual harassment.

Sexual Harassment Commonly Impacts Employees Regardless of Sex or Gender

According to a recent study published in the journal Front Public Health, more than 88 percent of women and more than 83 percent of men have “reported experiencing sexual harassment at least once or twice in the past 24 months, with verbal harassment being the most common form.” In other words, a majority of employees have experienced sexual harassment, and for many, the harassment is ongoing and pervasive in the work environment. Transgender employees, according to the Williams Insttute at the University of California, Los Angeles, are four times more likely than cisgender employees to experience sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace.

Moreover, researchers believe that it is likely a majority of sexual harassment experiences actually go unreported — for various reasons. Fear of consequences is often why employees do not report sexual harassment, but cultural factors — including assumptions about sex and gender, and who experiences harassment — can also play a role. In other words, men may be less likely to come forward about sexual harassment when they are the targets of this unlawful behavior in the workplace.

Both Forms of Sexual Harassment Can Occur Regardless of Sex or Gender

Regardless of whether a person is male or female, and regardless of whether they are cisgender or transgender, an employee can experience either type of unlawful sexual harassment in the workplace:

• Quid pro quo sexual harassment; or
• Hostile work environment sexual harassment.

Both types of sexual harassment are unlawful, and claims can be filed, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or under the Florida Civil Rights Act.

Contact a Palm Beach Gardens Sexual Harassment Lawyer for Help Filing a Claim Concerning Your Work Environment 

Many people assume that sexual harassment is something that only impacts women in the workplace. Yet as we discussed above, any employee in a workplace can be the target of sexual harassment and can be harmed by sexual harassment when it is creating a hostile work environment. To be clear, regardless of sex or gender, you can file a quid pro quo sexual harassment claim or a hostile work environment harassment claim if you have been the target of unlawful behavior. In addition, even if you are not the target of the harassing behavior but you are experiencing a hostile workplace due to sexual harassment, you can move forward with a claim. One of the experienced Palm Beach Gardens sexual harassment attorneys at Sconzo Law Office can speak with you today to discuss the details of the case and to develop a plan of action for moving forward with a sexual harassment claim in Florida.

Source:

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10698737/