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Impact of stress in the law enforcement
Definition of sexual harassment essay
Definition of sexual harassment essay
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Recommended: Impact of stress in the law enforcement
Sexual harassment is a serious issue in the workplace, especially one that is still a predominantly male workforce like the police force. The legal definition of sexual harassment is “verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that unreasonably interferes with the employee’s work or cerates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment” (Sbraga, O’donohue). There is also a psychological definition of sexual harassment, which is defined as “an unwanted sex related behaviour at work that is appraised by the recipient as offensive, exceeding her resources, or threatening her will-being”(Sbraga & O’donohue). These definitions have been defined since the 1990s, yet in male predominant environments it continues to go on as if they were never told about them. In workforces like policing, that are so dominated by males are seen to be more physically confrontational and daunting work environments, opposed to one that have a more equal ratio in …show more content…
Meaning female officers are have higher stress issues than their male counterparts. Study done on gender and police stress, it was revealed that female officers have a higher levels of somatization and depression than male officers in the same environment (Zhao, Archnold, He). Although, female and male officers report having similar triggers for stress females have higher levels of stress, there are several reasons behind this. A large part of different stress levels comes form that fact that because so there are so many male officers, they are able to interact with one another about what is going on and relate to one another (Dowler and Arai). Female officers do not have this luxury, there are fast less female officers, only 35% of females work in the police force, therefore this can often make them feel more isolated with these issues (policing in Canada textbook or Dowler and
Women police officers face many stressors. Female officers are more likely to encounter disapproval from fellow officers, and also from friends and family for entering police work. On the other hand, the peers, supervisors, and the public questions female officers’ capability to tackle the emotional and physical rigors of the police work, and this is even when research shows women can do so. As such, the need for female officers to prove themselves to the public and the male officers constitutes some major stressor for women officers. In essence, female police officers do suffer quite more from the stress of their jobs than their male colleagues.
The criminal justice system is a male dominated occupation. For many years women have tried to break down the barrier and some have succeeded. But unlike men, women have to fight to be respected and to be heard. There has always been a gender bias. Women have decided to work outside the home and “move in” on careers that were specified as male professions. Females unfortunately have to deal with the sexist remarks, jokes, sexual harassment, and any other negativity that comes with being a woman in a man’s workforce. They get ridiculed for being mothers and wives. The research that was found while writing this paper will show some of the struggles of female attorneys, and police officers.
It is estimated that nine out of ten women will be victims of sexual advances at work. The courts are making it easier to hold a company liable for any sexual harassment behavior that occurs within the workplace. The employer does not even need to know that the sexual harassment is taking place for an employee to file a suit and win. It is almost impossible to find a ?solution? or ?magic key? that will end the problem. There is no guarantee that anything will prevent sexual harassment from happening. There are only suggestions that might help in depleting the problem.
According to legal dictionary (2013), sexual harassment refers to any form of unwelcome sexual behavior or advances, appeals for sexual errands, and other form of physical or verbal conduct or behavior that portrays sex nature and tends to make the working environment offensive or hostile. Any behavior or remarks that take such forms constitute sexual harassment when: Compliance to such conduct happens either implicitly or explicitly based on employment of an individual, rejection or compliance to such conduct is used to make decisions during employment and when such conduct interferes or affects performance of a person at the workplace. Sexual harassment ta...
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. Federal law as well as various state fair-employment laws prohibit employers with 15 or more employees from treating members of one sex or race differently from members of the opposite sex or another race in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment. The statutory and regulatory laws govern the entire employment process from pre-employment activities such as recruiting, through an employee's career with the organization, including termination. The prohibition against sex discrimination imposes responsibility upon employers to afford their employees an environment free from sexual harassment and from the fear that it may occur.
She mentions how the victims choose to keep quiet about the incident, since they fear their attacker will harm them for reporting the incident. Adefolalu mentions, "Victims who feared reprisal attacks from perpetrators were five times more likely to delay presentation than those who were not. " My hypothesis is fear of their assault prevents an individual from reporting a sexual assault committed towards them. My null hypothesis is fear does not affect if an individual reports a sexual assault. My independent variable is fear of assault and my dependent variable is unreported sexual assault.
Women bring unique skills and techniques to policing such as: compassion and understanding during undesirable and traumatic incidents. Although, women do not possess the muscles or physical strength as the male officers, they do have effective invaluable interpersonal skills. Females are viewed as threats by their male peers. Women face prejudice, peer bullying, and sometimes sexual harassment during their career in law enforcement (Criminal Justice School Info, 2014). The male officers believe that women have unfair advantages when it comes to getting promotions or advancements. In actuality, a lot of women in law enforcement are afraid to apply for higher positions due to fear of maltreatment by the male officers. Women who work in law enforcement often feel as if they must “prove themselves” beca...
Why should Lael get involved in reporting if she has not experienced any of the allegations the other employees are making?
According to a recent study, the causes of sexual harassment in the workforce can be exceedingly difficult due to the fact that employee’s are dependent on each other for team work and support, and are reliant on their supervisor’s approval for time off and career advancement. Supervisors and employers take advantage of their supremacy they have over their employees. Such closeness and intensity can distort the professional boundaries which lead people to cross over the line. The report also reported that Politics can be a catalyst, and problems caused by poor management, workplace bullying, frustration, and job/financial insecurity which creates a hostile environments. Furthermore, personal problems can also play a factor, and sexual harassment can be a symptom of the effects of life traumas, such as divorce, or death of a spouse or child (Sexual Harassment in the Workplace).
If the female is not taken seriously they are more likely to feel inadequate and like they cannot do their job properly. This is very dangerous in the policing subculture. If officers are not taking another officer seriously, there can be consequences not only for the department but also for society. For instance, Catherine Galliford is an ex RCMP officer. She had worked on many of Canada’s largest cases.
The conflict between security and service functions-- and the dangerous, overcrowded conditions in these facilities intensified hostile reaction (Jurik, N.C. 1985). On an informal level there is much of a boundary between the male inmates and the women that worked in the facilities. The more overcrowded and dangerous these facilities get, the harder it may be for the women in the workplace as security. Nancy felt with such resistance in the workplace of being a female correctional officer in mens prison, women were not going to perform adequately to all of the pressure. In addition, the combination to these old hostilities with the informal rules governing advancement further limited the opportunities available to female officers (Kanter, 1977; 264). Because this specific job field is so hostile and intimidating, researchers found that women were not getting promoted because of it. Which made it harder on women to do as well as they wanted knowing they were not going to get rewarded or promoted to a higher form of
Clark, C. S. (1991, August 9). Sexual harassment. CQ Researcher, 1, 537-560. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher
gives all of us the right to be treated fairly and to take action if
For some, sexual harassment and assault seem almost like myths or bad dreams. For others, it's a living reality. The United States Department of Justice defines sexual assault as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” Sexual harassment and assault are demeaning, terrifying, and forceful behaviors. And yet, it’s happening every day. People hollering out car windows at pedestrians. Groups of teenagers terrifying
Sexual harassment in the workplace has been a huge problem in recent history. It can happen to anyone, and it can happen everywhere. It can affect all types of races, genders and ages. Statistics today show that more and more sexual harassment has become an issue due to the large number of cases presented. Mainstream media becomes consumed covering sexual harassment because of the high-profile cases.