Harassment Charges Research Articles

GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Over the course of the last several years, there has been a significant amount of attention paid to the grave issue of women in India misusing the judicial system. The fact that women in India are often subjected to discrimination and do not have equal rights and opportunities contributes to the existence of gender bias in many aspects of Indian society. However, the fact that women often take advantage of the judicial system just helps to exacerbate the gender bias that already exists. Throughout the history of the legal system, there have been several instances of women attaining their objectives, sometimes at the expense of men. This behaviour is not only inappropriate from a moral standpoint, but it also goes against the Constitution. In the Indian Constitution, there is no section that specifically addresses the issue of gender equality. Over the course of its history, the Constitution has been subjected to several amendments in order to ensure that women are afforded equal legal protection. It is a fundamental human right to ensure that women are protected from any kind of discrimination, regardless of circumstances. Despite this, prejudice against women continues to exist in many aspects of society, such as the marriage market, the job, and educational institutions. In India, the most prevalent instances of women misusing the judicial system are those that include domestic violence and offences involving dowries. According to Indian law, crimes that include dowries are considered to be of a criminal character and entail criminal consequences. Instead, women often create charges of dowry harassment against their husbands or in-laws in order to achieve what they want in a divorce or property dispute. This is done in order to get what they want. Because of this misuse, men are deprived of the rights that are rightfully theirs, in addition to eroding the value of the law. To add insult to injury, when confronted with charges of domestic violence, law enforcement officers often do nothing, so allowing the perpetrators of the abuse to take the blame. This violates not just the rights of the victims but also sends the message that violence against women is acceptable. One of the most significant issues that has to be addressed is the fact that women in India are misusing the judicial system. In accordance with the provisions of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees gender equality, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that women are afforded equal rights and opportunities. It is imperative that we take precautions to prevent women from exploiting the legal system and to ensure that they are afforded enough protection against discrimination on the basis of their gender. Furthermore, individuals who are culpable for this crime should be subjected to the full force of the law, and victims of gender-based violence should get proper assistance and protection while they are victims.

GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Over the course of the last several years, there has been a significant amount of attention paid to the grave issue of women in India misusing the judicial system. The fact that women in India are often subjected to discrimination and do not have equal rights and opportunities contributes to the existence of gender bias in many aspects of Indian society. However, the fact that women often take advantage of the judicial system just helps to exacerbate the gender bias that already exists. Throughout the history of the legal system, there have been several instances of women attaining their objectives, sometimes at the expense of men. This behaviour is not only inappropriate from a moral standpoint, but it also goes against the Constitution. In the Indian Constitution, there is no section that specifically addresses the issue of gender equality. Over the course of its history, the Constitution has been subjected to several amendments in order to ensure that women are afforded equal legal protection. It is a fundamental human right to ensure that women are protected from any kind of discrimination, regardless of circumstances. Despite this, prejudice against women continues to exist in many aspects of society, such as the marriage market, the job, and educational institutions. In India, the most prevalent instances of women misusing the judicial system are those that include domestic violence and offences involving dowries. According to Indian law, crimes that include dowries are considered to be of a criminal character and entail criminal consequences. Instead, women often create charges of dowry harassment against their husbands or in-laws in order to achieve what they want in a divorce or property dispute. This is done in order to get what they want. Because of this misuse, men are deprived of the rights that are rightfully theirs, in addition to eroding the value of the law. To add insult to injury, when confronted with charges of domestic violence, law enforcement officers often do nothing, so allowing the perpetrators of the abuse to take the blame. This violates not just the rights of the victims but also sends the message that violence against women is acceptable. One of the most significant issues that has to be addressed is the fact that women in India are misusing the judicial system. In accordance with the provisions of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees gender equality, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that women are afforded equal rights and opportunities. It is imperative that we take precautions to prevent women from exploiting the legal system and to ensure that they are afforded enough protection against discrimination on the basis of their gender. Furthermore, individuals who are culpable for this crime should be subjected to the full force of the law, and victims of gender-based violence should get proper assistance and protection while they are victims.

Ask a Political Scientist: A Conversation with Cynthia Enloe about Gender and Global Politics

Ask a Political Scientist: A Conversation with Cynthia Enloe about Gender and Global Politics

Still in the shadows: The unresponsiveness of stalking prosecution rates to increased legislative attention

Stalking is a serious crime involving a course of repeated conduct that frightens, threatens, or harasses the victim. Despite growing scholarly attention, the criminal justice system response to stalking has been understudied. Prior research suggests that stalking, like other interpersonal crimes (i.e., sexual assault, domestic violence) is underreported; however, stalking cases are also inconsistently classified and managed by law enforcement (Brady & Nobles, 2017). This exploratory study used official court data from Houston, Texas to examine trends in stalking cases relative to two major revisions of Texas anti-stalking statutes. Results demonstrate that trends in arrests with intent to prosecute were stable over time and that very few cases of stalking were prosecuted in this jurisdiction during any given year, even as a comparison trend for the broader category of harassment charges showed escalation over time, consistent with population growth and other extra-legal influences. These findings suggest that stalking cases remain rarely prosecuted despite increasing awareness and provisions for enhanced penalties under Texas law. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Why is Workplace Sexual Harassment Underreported? The Value of Outside Options Amid the Threat of Retaliation

Why is workplace sexual harassment chronically underreported? We hypothesize that employers coerce victims into silence through the threat of a retaliatory firing, and test this theory by estimating whether external shocks that reduce the value of a worker’s outside options exacerbate underreporting. Under mild assumptions, a rise in the severity of formal complaints is indicative of increased underreporting. Combining this insight with an objective measure of the quality of charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), we perform two analyses. First, we assess whether workers report sexual harassment more selectively during recessions, when outside labor market options are limited. We estimate the fraction of sexual harassment charges deemed to have merit by the EEOC increases by 0.5-0.7% for each one percentage point increase in a state-industry’s monthly unemployment rate. The effect is amplified in industries employing a larger fraction of men and in establishments with a higher share of male managers. Second, we test whether less generous UI benefits create economic incentives for victims of workplace sexual harassment to remain silent. We find the selectivity of sexual harassment charges increases by more than 30% in response to a 50% cut to North Carolina’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program following the Great Recession.

Why is Workplace Sexual Harassment Underreported? The Value of Outside Options Amid the Threat of Retaliation

Why is workplace sexual harassment chronically underreported? We hypothesize that employers coerce victims into silence through the threat of a retaliatory firing, and test this theory by estimating whether external shocks that reduce the value of a worker's outside options exacerbate underreporting. Under mild assumptions, a rise in the severity of formal complaints is indicative of increased underreporting. Combining this insight with an objective measure of the quality of charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), we perform two analyses. First, we assess whether workers report sexual harassment more selectively during recessions, when outside labor market options are limited. We estimate the fraction of sexual harassment charges deemed to have merit by the EEOC increases by 0.5-0.7% for each one percentage point increase in a state-industry's monthly unemployment rate. The effect is amplified in industries employing a larger fraction of men and in establishments with a higher share of male managers. Second, we test whether less generous UI benefits create economic incentives for victims of workplace sexual harassment to remain silent. We find the selectivity of sexual harassment charges increases by more than 30% in response to a 50% cut to North Carolina's Unemployment Insurance (UI) program following the Great Recession.

Tales from the Back of the Bus: For Colored Girls Who Considered Resistance When Pre–Title VII Laws Were Not Enough

This essay offers a historical education on intersectionality, before the dawn of Title VII and Title IX. In a world before pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment protections, and laws supporting fair housing, a Black woman, who was often silenced and deemed disreputable, primarily had her cunning, wit, and resolve to either acquiesce or resist unwelcome advances or circumstances. I resisted. In this current #MeToo and #TimesUp climate, women are marching, fighting, even suing for their rights. In this historical moment in 2021, with New York Governor Cuomo resigning his post in response to multiple complaints regarding sexual harassment, Cosby’s release despite several women coming forward about sexual harassment, Weinstein in Los Angeles to sexual harassment charges, and recent testimony from elite gymnasts’ complaints about Dr. Larry Nassar at Michigan State were ignored by the FBI, I reflect on my Jim Crow coming-of-age. Women must continue their fight to be free of sexual aggression in society. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to offer a historical perspective to document improvements in addressing sexual assault yet recognize from news stories of the last year that there is still much work before us.

Caste, gender, and “global Indian-ness”: spaces of safety in stand-up comedy in global Mumbai

ABSTRACT This paper argues that stand-up comedy produces the places it uses in the city of Mumbai as “safe” for new middle-class women by excluding Dalit and working-class people who are deemed “dangerous.” Such exclusion is achieved by mobilising places and infrastructure that are built to make Mumbai a “world-class” city, a process that requires the dispossession and exploitation of the masses from which the new middle-class benefits. In the context of the sexual harassment charges that hit the stand-up comedy scene in 2018 and the responses to those charges, I posit that stand-up comedy is a site where “appropriate” gender hierarchies are formulated in the pursuit of “global Indian-ness.”

Eye of the Beholder: Partisanship, Identity, and the Politics of Sexual Harassment

Two current members of the U.S. Supreme Court took their seats despite allegations of sexual harassment (Clarence Thomas) and sexual assault (Brett Kavanaugh) leveled against them during their confirmation hearings. In each instance, the Senate vote was close and split mainly along party lines: Republicans for and Democrats against. Polls showed that a similar division existed among party supporters in the electorate. There are, however, differences among rank-and-file partisans that help shape their views on the issues raised by these two controversial appointments to the nation’s highest court. Using data from a national survey of registered voters, we examine the factors associated with citizens’ attitudes about the role of women in politics, the extent to which sexism is a problem in society, the recent avalanche of sexual harassment charges made against elected officials and other political (as well as entertainment, business, and academic) figures, and the #MeToo movement. We are particularly interested in whether a strong sense of partisan identity adds significantly to our understanding of people’s attitudes on these matters. In addition, our experimental evidence allows us to determine whether shared partisanship overrides other factors when an elected official from one’s own party is accused of sexual misbehavior.

Mainstream Media’s FRAMING of #METOO CAMPAIGN IN INDIA

The #metoo campaign became a worldwide phenomenon, through the tweet was made against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein by the actress Alyssa Milano on October 15, 2017. In India the campaign took off on October 7, 2018, when the actress Tanushree Dutta made serious allegations against the actor Nana Patekar, narrating her experiences while she was working with him in a film in 2008. The impact of the awareness created by #metoo campaign was such that well known personalities including the Union minister M J Akbar had to step down when the sexual harassment charges were leveled against them.In the backdrop of all these incidents, the study analyses the role of India media in framing of #metoo movements in India. The research paper analyses Indian news media’s coverage of this social media movement. The study focuses on the analyses of 40 news articles in two major national dailies in India.

Employers' Responses to Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a pressing national issue in both the public sphere and many workplaces. Recent high profile allegations in the media, government, and prominent firms as well as the accompanying social movements (such as #TimesUp and #MeToo) have raised the visibility of sexual harassment, strongly suggesting that workplace sexual harassment has not been effectively addressed — or perhaps even taken seriously — by many employers. In this report we examine employer responses and the outcomes of 46,210 Title VII sexual harassment discrimination charges filed between 2012 and 2016 with the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and state Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs). We also examine the EEOC’s processing of the 33,304 Title VII sexual harassment charges filed solely with the EEOC.

Sexual Nationalism, Masculinity and the Cultural Politics of Cricket in Bangladesh

Highlighting the way cricket has become a site of a new nationalist masculinity in post-colonial Bangladesh, this paper examines the eruption of a recent controversy about a Bangladeshi cricketer’s sexual entanglement with a movie actress just before the ICC (International Cricket Council) World Cup in 2015. The long-running racial interpretation of Bangladeshis as being of short stature and frail in the popular Indian and Pakistani media has led Bangladeshi cricket supporters to view this athlete’s sexual aggression, despite charges of rape and sexual harassment, as an expression of Bangladeshi masculinity. The problem is that in positing this athlete as a counterpoise to the dominant Indian and Pakistani cricket nationalism, the nationalist resurgence in Bangladesh produced an aggressively heterosexual and masculinist politics that relegated women to a commodity in the formation of a cricket-based nationalism. I argue that the collective cultural complicity with the making of this new masculinity is not just the product of a Bangladeshi patriarchy, but is rooted in a fear of a putative emasculation in the field of cricket by other nations.

Defending harassers harms victims

The Letter “Harassment charges: Injustice done?” by A. Moya et al. (17 August, p. [655][1]) defends Francisco Ayala, recasting him as the victim of an unfair investigation where he was found guilty of repeated sexual harassment against multiple colleagues, leading to his resignation from the University of California Irvine (UCI). In publishing this Letter, the content of which is considered retaliatory under U.S. education law ([ 1 ][2]), Science legitimizes attempts to discredit Ayala's accusers by reinforcing the narrative that consequences are the “fault” of the harassed rather than those engaging in harassment. Moya et al. do not substantiate their claims that the UCI investigation was “enacted in haste” and that it lacked “fairness” and “due process.” Instead, they propose that Ayala's status and research accomplishments should shield him from the consequences of his actions. As addressed in the Letter “Editor's note: Harassment policy” (12 October, p. [165][3]) by Science's Editor-in-Chief, Jeremy Berg, “[s]uch arguments not only lack relevance to harassment behavior but also may result in further harm to the targets of harassment and exacerbate the already daunting process that targets face in coming forward publicly.” Moya et al. also decry the “appalling consequences” of the charges against Ayala, deflecting attention from the consequences of his proven misconduct and impugning the motives of those who testified. Approximately 50% of women face sexual harassment in academic workplaces—more so for women of color and sexual and gender minorities ([ 2 ][4]). Many who report also face retaliation ([ 2 ][4]). Ayala's targets were courageous in coming forward. They deserve support, not public criticism enabled by a prestigious scientific organization. Science would not publish such a letter defending a data fabricator on the basis of their accomplishments and making unsupported claims against the investigation. Although Science has since changed its policy, the scientific community should reflect on why the standard was different for sexual misconduct and act accordingly to mitigate damages. Sexual harassment undermines core values of research integrity. It not only harms targets and bystanders; harassment damages science itself by discouraging and driving out talented people. In our opinion, Science committed an injustice and a serious error in judgment by publishing this Letter. We request that Science retract the Moya et al. letter or remove it from the online archive, and publicly apologize to both Ayala's victims and the scientific community at large ([ 3 ][5]). Editor's note We thank Barolo et al. for continuing the dialogue about best practices for addressing harassment. Barolo et al. call for the retraction or removal of the Letter by Moya et al . Science originally published the Letter to fulfill the Letters section's mission of representing diverse views within the community. Since publication, Science has acknowledged that some of the points in the Moya et al. Letter were flawed. However, because Letters represent the opinions of the authors and not editorial positions of Science , we will not retract previously published Letters. Furthermore, in line with current best practice, Science policy precludes removing text once it is published. Rather, before the Letter itself, we have prominently placed the text of the 12 October 2018 Editor's Note, which alerts readers to concerns about the Letter and explains new policies put in place since its publication. Jeremy Berg Editor-in-Chief Published 25 January 2019 1. [↵][6]1. S. M. Galanter , “Dear colleague letter” (U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, 2013); . 2. [↵][7]National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “Sexual harassment of women: Climate, culture, and consequences in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine” (The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2018); [www.nap.edu/catalog/24994/sexual-harassment-of-women-climate-culture-and-consequences-in-academic][8]. 3. [↵][9]A petition preceding this Letter and 316 online signatories are available at [www.gopetition.com/petitions/the-evidence-does-not-support-amplifying-sympathy-for-harassers.html][10]. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/361/6403/655.3 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/362/6411/165.1 [4]: #ref-2 [5]: #ref-3 [6]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [7]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [8]: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/24994/sexual-harassment-of-women-climate-culture-and-consequences-in-academic [9]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [10]: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/the-evidence-does-not-support-amplifying-sympathy-for-harassers.html

Valuing the risk of workplace sexual harassment

Using data on sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, I calculate the risk of sexual harassment by gender, industry, and age and establish that white females, but not nonwhite females, receive a compensating wage differential for exposure to a higher risk of sexual harassment. I use this risk premium to calculate the value of statistical harassment (VSH) in a manner analogous to the calculation of the value of statistical life (VSL). The VSH is around $7.6 million, about three-quarters of the size of the most-commonly cited levels of the VSL, and far above the maximum damages award for sexual harassment available under federal law. Boosting the maximum damages award to equal the VSH would create the appropriate economic incentives for organizations to deter sexual harassment.

Organizational emphasis on inclusion as a cultural value and third-party response to sexual harassment

PurposeReliance on third-party judgments are common in efforts to identify and reduce workplace sexual harassment (SH). The purpose of this paper is to identify whether a workplace emphasis on inclusion as a cultural value is related to third-party labeling of and response to an exchange between a male manager and his female subordinate.Design/methodology/approachParticipants (n=308) in an online survey experiment were randomly assigned to a workplace that emphasized inclusion or one that emphasized individual achievement as a cultural value. They read a vignette describing a workplace interaction between a male manager and his female subordinate and responded to a series of questions.FindingsOrganizational emphasis on inclusion is unrelated to third-party labeling of the interaction as SH, but positively associated with labeling the female’s intention to pursue harassment charges as an overreaction, and support for the female subordinate in a claim of SH against her manager. Culture is unassociated with willingness to defend the male manager in a SH claim.Practical implicationsIdentifying how workplace culture shapes third-party reaction to harassment can help employers use third-party witnesses and cultural value statements as tools to reduce SH.Social implicationsA workplace’s cultural emphasis on inclusion is positively related to third-party support for SH victims implying the importance of workplace context in the fight against workplace SH.Originality/valueThe paper presents the first experimental analysis of how a workplace cultural emphasis on inclusion affects the third-party observers’ reactions to SH.

Harassment charges: Enough himpathy

![Figure][1] UCI decided to remove Francisco Ayala's name from the science library after he resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. PHOTO: IAN PARKER We are well into the #Metoo era, yet journalists and editors are still fixated on the harasser's fall from grace rather than the detrimental effect of sexual harassment on the victims and our society as a whole. The News story “Prominent geneticist out at UC Irvine after harassment finding” (M. Wadman, 29 June, [https://scim.ag/AyalaResignation][2]) reinforces a familiar toxic narrative: The accomplishments of the harasser hold more value to science than women's right to a safe workplace. This is now so commonplace that it has been dubbed “himpathy” ([ 1 ][3]). In the News story, Wadman tells us all about the “eminent” professor, from his scientific accomplishments to his personal hobbies. He did “pioneering” and “groundbreaking” work, he donated money to the university, and he was president of AAAS (the publisher of Science ). However, we do not hear about the pioneering work of the women he harassed at University of California, Irvine (UCI). From a graduate student to a tenured professor to an assistant dean, the News story reduced the women who demanded an end to his misconduct to complainers. We are told that Ayala was just being “European” and his actions were misunderstood; instead, the narrative should focus on the many women and careers that suffered from Ayala's actions. Wadman then chose to end the article by quoting an Ayala supporter who diminished the investigation. The same himpathy sentiments return in the follow-up News In Depth story “Report details harassment by famed biologist” (M. Wadman, 27 July, p. [316][4]). Words matter, and Science should wield its words and influence carefully. It is time to recognize that harassers have taken a substantial toll on the advancement of science. It is time to acknowledge that sexual harassment in all its nefarious forms puts an unquantifiable burden on the victims (many of whom are our colleagues). It's time to believe women. 1. [↵][5]1. K. Manne , Down Girl (Oxford Univ. Press, 2017). [1]: pending:yes [2]: http://scim.ag/AyalaResignation [3]: #ref-1 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.361.6400.316 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text

Where's the Joke? The Meaning Behind Sexual Humor

To laugh or not to laugh? That seems to be the question. With every article on workplace stress comesanother recommendation for including more humor on the job. However, there is corresponding researchshowing that office humor may lead to such negative repercussions as sexual harassment charges. In 1980the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published the guidelines that define sexualharassment as "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physicalconduct of a sexual nature" (Rutter, 1997, p. 10). These guidelines also define harassment as the creationof a hostile or intimidating working environment; it is such an environment that serves as the basis fornumerous work-related lawsuits. The EEOC classifies unwelcome behavior into seven forms, andaccording to a U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board study, the most frequent form cited includes "sexualteasing, jokes, remarks, or questions" (Rutter, 1997, p. 11).

Free Speech Faces Hostile Environment: An Aggressive Hunt for Sex Harassment Leaves Plenty of Wreckage

Take the case of James Maas, who has been teaching at Cornell University for more than 30 years and whose Psychology 101 is perhaps the largest undergraduate course in the country (attracting about 1,000 students every semester). He was won numerous teaching awards. In 1994, Mr. Maas was called before Cornell's Professional Ethics Committee to defend himself against charges of sexual harassment. The allegations centered around his overly friendly and affectionate behavior - which, it turns out, were hugs and occasional social kisses, most often in front of class or family.The most notable example of a professor who stood his ground against sexual-harassment charges is J. Donald Silva, a tenured member of the English faculty at the University of New Hampshire. A student in his technical writing course had asked for an example of a working definition. Mr. Silva offered a word-picture that he had used many times before. Belly dancing, he said, is like a plate of Jell-O with a vibrator underneath. Within days the professor stood accused of sexual harassment. Shortly thereafter he was suspended from his job, ordered to pay the university $2,000 for a replacement teacher, and directed to undergo psychological counseling with a university-approved therapist.The current PC climate has also served to chill campus civility and chivalry. There once was a time when hugging and kissing - the polite embrace or peck-on-the-cheek - was as much a matter of civility as the tip of a gentleman's hat. Now any such behavior, especially when it happens on campus, could well stir up litigious visions of a hostile environment, if not outright charges of sexual harassment.

Did timing prevent university from disciplining a student‐athlete for sexual assault, harassment charges?

The Iowa State University Office of Judicial Affairs charged student‐athlete Yempabou Palo with sexual assault and sexual harassment of a female student in September 2012.

Create a crisis communications plan to guide your institution, protect its reputation

Read any major newspaper and you're likely to find out about another college or university facing a crisis. Whether it's charges of sexual harassment or assault, allegations of academic fraud in the athletics department, or an alcohol‐related campus death, you need to be ready to communicate effectively if a crisis occurs on your campus.