6 Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is also not confined to one demographic. For example, the founders of Vice Media, known for its hip and edgy content and image, acknowledged to the New York Times that its “boys club” culture had helped to create an atmosphere where sexual harassment flourished (Steel 2017). As the New York Times remarked about their investigation, which uncov- ered four sexual harassment settlements plus dozens of other such incidents, What stands out about the women’s accounts—in the wake of a public reckoning over sexual assault and harass- ment by mostly older men—is that the allegations involve men in their 20s, 30s and 40s who came of age long after workplace harassment was not only taboo but outlawed. (Steel 2017) Abby Ellis, who was a journalist at Vice, alleges that she experienced several sexual advances from producer Jason Mojica, who was head of Vice Media’s documentary films div- ision. She reported the incidents to the HR department, but as she said to the New York Times, women “get harassed every- where. . . . We’re expected to put up with it it’s the cost of doing business” (Steel 2017). Mojica recalled only “misread- ing a moment and foolishly trying to kiss Abby” (Steel 2017). Other women also complained about Mojica, but he was not fired until an article about Vice’s “toxic culture” appeared in the Daily Beast in November 2017 (Zadrozny 2017). This chapter will define sexual harassment and cover its hist- ory, significant legislation, and court cases. In addition, it will discuss the prevalence of sexual harassment and include import- ant research findings about where and how sexual harassment takes place and information on who perpetrates harassment and who experiences harassment. What Is Sexual Harassment? Sexual harassment typically refers to incidents in the work- place or in educational settings, though these incidents may
Previous Page Next Page