Harassment and discrimination based on gender are illegal in the American workplace. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that they don’t happen. Many workers are victimized by this every day.
One potential issue is that these specific breaches of your rights can be hard to identify. Was what just happened to you sexual harassment or not? Are you reading too much into a situation, or do you have a case?
The top ways that harassment happens
To help you know that it’s time to take action, here are some of the top examples of harassment based on your sex or your gender:
- Making off-color jokes repeatedly at your expense
- Sharing explicit pictures
- Sharing explicit videos
- Sending suggestive texts or emails
- Asking inappropriate questions about your love life
- Repeatedly asking you out, even when you make it clear that you’re not interested
- Making crude gestures
- Creating an office environment where workers of one sex are viewed as inferior or second-class
- Touching you in inappropriate ways
Keep in mind that the offender may dispute even these obvious actions. You may allege that you were groped at work, for instance, and they may counter that they just gave you a friendly embrace. You may say that the jokes they made were at your expense, and they may counter that you’re being too sensitive and that no one meant anything derogatory.
If this happens, make sure you know what legal options you have. This could get to be a contentious case. Just because someone denies something or tries to gaslight you doesn’t mean that you’re not in the right or that you don’t have a case. Have you experienced this type of harassment this year?