Recent research shows that more than 30 percent of work _ Charges of sexual harassment were filed with the EEOC; 84 ers in the United States have been harassed at work, and percent of them by women. that around three quarters of these are women. Further, in Why does sexual harassment (mostly of women) occur most cases the harassers are men. Forty-three percent of in the workplace? "Power," says researcher Debbie Dougherty, those who have been harassed identified the male harasser who conducted a study in conjunction with a large Midwestern as a supervisor, 27 percent as an employee senior to them, health-care organization- 'it was the common answer. It came and 19 percent as a coworker at the same level. In 2016 (the up repeatedly" says Dougherty, a specialist in communicalast year for which there is complete data), nearly 13,000 tions and power in organizations. She also found that men and women understand the idea of power differently, and that difference in understanding may play an important part in the persistence of harassing behavior in the workplace: - For most men, power is something that belongs to superiors -managers and supervisors - who can harass because they possess the power to do so. By definition, a male coworker cannot actually harass a female coworker who's at the same level because he doesn't possess sufficient power over her. - Women, on the other hand, see power as something that can be introduced into a relationship as it develops; it's something more than the mere formal authority built into the superior's job description. Harassment can be initiated by anyone who's able to create the perception of power. then, that male coworkers felt free to behave in a haraving (Closing Case - continued) According to Dougherty, gender differences in the differences in perceptions of behavior. "If a man," she sugfemale coworker, reasoning that because he holds no power theory that sexual harassment is less about sexual desite over her, she won't perceive the behavior as harassment. She. than about control and domination.... Male coworkers however, probably regards power as something that can be and supervisors seem to be using harassment as an equal. sought and gained in a relationship and may therefore "see _ izer against women in power."68 the sexual comments as a quest for power and label it as sexual harassment:" Case Questions The findings of another recent study tend to support 1. In light of the research discussed in this case, in your Dougherty's conclusions. Researchers from the University opinion, how should sexual harassment be punished? of Minnesota discovered that women in supervisory posi- 2. What laws relate most closely to sexual harassment? tions were 137 percent more likely to be harassed than 3. What legal protection, if any, should exist to protect an women in nonsupervisory roles. Although many of the innocent individual from false charges of sexual harss harassers were men in superior positions, a large number ment? were coworkers in equivalent positions, It would seem, 4. How might sexual harassment relate to bullying? Case Questions 1. In light of the research discussed in this case, in your opinion, how should sexual harassment be punished? 2. What laws relate most closely to sexual harassment? 3. What legal protection, if any, should exist to protect an innocent individual from false charges of sexual harass ment? 4. How might sexual harassment relate to bullying