Overview of Sexual Harassment Types

Sexual harassment is not a joke. While it may seem like harmless jokes or horseplay, it deprives others of dignity and equality. Victims of sexual harassment have well-established rights under federal law and, in several cases under state law as well. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature in the workplace or learning environment. This is spelled out by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Sexual harassment does not always have to be specifically about sexual behavior or directed at a specific person. For example, negative comments about women as a group may be a form of sexual harassment. Although sexual harassment laws do not usually cover teasing or offhand comments, these behaviors can also be upsetting and have a negative emotional effect.

The harasser can be either a man or a woman, and the victim can be the same sex as the harasser. The harasser can be the victim’s direct supervisor, a supervisor in another area of the company, a co-worker, a subordinate or even a person who is not employed by the victim’s organization, such as a customer. Sexual harassment is of two types: “quid pro quo” harassment and “hostile environment” harassment.