Sexual harassment at the workplace such as privateor public institution is considered centuries old, as is mentioned above firstlyit was noticed at African-American women slaves, without the protection of law.
In these cases Americans most of the times blamed women for this mess; bothcategories of domestic servants and slaves were considered responsible fortheir “collapse”. Still there were a portion of public commentary that punishedmen for sexual abuse against the slaves and internal servants. For example extract press were showing tonsof stories for women who were sexually harassed by their superiors. (Catharine A.
MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004) Moreover by the end of 19thcentury, Helen Campbell writes “Women Wage-Workers”, a report that talks abouthousehold services, a service that she describes as degeneration when it comesto a woman. Campbell’s report highlights the sexual extortion over womenemployers at different factories and clothing industries.
(Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004) At the beginning of20th century, also Upton Sinclair with her book so called “Jungle”exposed the situation of women who were working at “packing meat industry”,showing sexual forms that were practiced for “slavery wage”. (Sinclair, Jungle, 1906) The voice of these publiccommentators and of the extract press was heard.
American Legal Systemcontributed on giving woman protection from sexual abuse at the workplace. Thislaw punished rape as an occurrence, but this law was not protecting slaves.According to this system; elements that were determining “rape” were veryrestrictive so any women that were sexually harassed at the workplace wouldhave any cause to believe that state would punish that men took advantages ofthem. According to Reva B. Siegel as another reason that women closed eyestoward reporting against this phenomenon was because would ruin theirreputation and cause damages to their marriages, which usually followed after arape complaint. (Catharine A.
MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004)During 1873-1874 in Cleveland was found the NationalWoman’s Christian Temperance Union, an independent organization which exceptdifferent kind of issues they also lobbied to reform the laws against sexualabuse at the workplace, this leaded in creation of a national campaign tochange the law toward rape status. Back in time this and too many othermovements were taken to create and change the laws against this world issue. (Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B.
Siegel , 2004)As we know, in 1979 the law professor CatharineMacKinnon wrote the book “Sexual Harassment of Working Women” which requestedlegal mechanisms for treating and compensating its victims. (MacKinnon, 1979)Mackinnon contended that sexual harassment firstly was happening to women andseldom to men, therefore according to her this is a reason why sexualdiscrimination should be seen as a form of sex discrimination. Viewing sexualharassment as sex discrimination meant that victims would have the same legalprotection as victims of sex discrimination. (MacKinnon, 1979)The first legal guidelines were developed by EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission at 1980, where this agency was responsible toensure equal rights and opportunities at the work place for all employers.
Thisagency’s guideline was reliable with Mackinnon position and defined SexualHarassment under Title VII of Civil Rights Act as a form of illegitimate sexbased discrimination. (Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B.
Siegel , 2004)Since then, more than a few states have passed theirown laws, regulations or administrative procedures with the main aim toeliminate sexual harassment at the workplaces.Various public and private agencies also courts,have seen an increase toward complaints for sexual harassment in the workplacesince 1980.Sexual harassment at the workplace such as privateor public institution is considered centuries old, as is mentioned above firstlyit was noticed at African-American women slaves, without the protection of law.In these cases Americans most of the times blamed women for this mess; bothcategories of domestic servants and slaves were considered responsible fortheir “collapse”. Still there were a portion of public commentary that punishedmen for sexual abuse against the slaves and internal servants. For example extract press were showing tonsof stories for women who were sexually harassed by their superiors. (Catharine A.
MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004) Moreover by the end of 19thcentury, Helen Campbell writes “Women Wage-Workers”, a report that talks abouthousehold services, a service that she describes as degeneration when it comesto a woman. Campbell’s report highlights the sexual extortion over womenemployers at different factories and clothing industries. (Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004) At the beginning of20th century, also Upton Sinclair with her book so called “Jungle”exposed the situation of women who were working at “packing meat industry”,showing sexual forms that were practiced for “slavery wage”. (Sinclair, Jungle, 1906) The voice of these publiccommentators and of the extract press was heard. American Legal Systemcontributed on giving woman protection from sexual abuse at the workplace.
Thislaw punished rape as an occurrence, but this law was not protecting slaves.According to this system; elements that were determining “rape” were veryrestrictive so any women that were sexually harassed at the workplace wouldhave any cause to believe that state would punish that men took advantages ofthem. According to Reva B. Siegel as another reason that women closed eyestoward reporting against this phenomenon was because would ruin theirreputation and cause damages to their marriages, which usually followed after arape complaint. (Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B.
Siegel , 2004)During 1873-1874 in Cleveland was found the NationalWoman’s Christian Temperance Union, an independent organization which exceptdifferent kind of issues they also lobbied to reform the laws against sexualabuse at the workplace, this leaded in creation of a national campaign tochange the law toward rape status. Back in time this and too many othermovements were taken to create and change the laws against this world issue. (Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004)As we know, in 1979 the law professor CatharineMacKinnon wrote the book “Sexual Harassment of Working Women” which requestedlegal mechanisms for treating and compensating its victims. (MacKinnon, 1979)Mackinnon contended that sexual harassment firstly was happening to women andseldom to men, therefore according to her this is a reason why sexualdiscrimination should be seen as a form of sex discrimination. Viewing sexualharassment as sex discrimination meant that victims would have the same legalprotection as victims of sex discrimination. (MacKinnon, 1979)The first legal guidelines were developed by EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission at 1980, where this agency was responsible toensure equal rights and opportunities at the work place for all employers.
Thisagency’s guideline was reliable with Mackinnon position and defined SexualHarassment under Title VII of Civil Rights Act as a form of illegitimate sexbased discrimination. (Catharine A. MacKinnon, Reva B. Siegel , 2004)Since then, more than a few states have passed theirown laws, regulations or administrative procedures with the main aim toeliminate sexual harassment at the workplaces.Various public and private agencies also courts,have seen an increase toward complaints for sexual harassment in the workplacesince 1980.
