Sexual Harassment And The Civil Rights Act - 869 Words

Sexual harassment is a form of gender discrimination and therefore it is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Sexual harassment perpetuates inequality preventing students from equal access to education. Colleges are obliged by the Federal Government to implement the programs that prevent sexual harassment and educate students. Sexual harassment on campus can take various forms and come not only from student but also from the professors. When a professor promises a certain grade in exchange for sexual favors from a student, it is a form of sexual harassment which called quid pro quo (311). It also can take place in a form of hostile environment â€Å"when unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it†¦show more content†¦In the past women were locked by the patriarchal system within certain roles, for example housewife, which made them dependent and subservient to men. Many people continue see the position of female as subordinate to male. Symbolic interactionism highlights that people do not merely learn the roles that society has set out for them; rather they construct their roles as they interact. In the process they greatly rely on symbols, for example words, gestures, clothes, to reach a shared understanding of their interaction. Symbolic interactionism also suggests that men use sexual abuse as a way reaffirm their masculinity or even exercise their power over one another. It is important to mention that the object of harassment is not necessarily women. Gay students are often the object of provocation. Sexual harassment can be viewed as an instrument by using which the most masculine men position themselves on the top and put the less masculine gender on the bottom. Sexual prowess became a measure of power, status, and control. Hyper masculinity is particularly cultivated in male dominated environments like fraternities and athletic teams. Although sexual abuse is sometimes normalized by the idea that m en are naturally sexually aggressive and cannot resists sexual impulses, Judith Lorber views gender as a product of socialization. People â€Å"do gender† every day. Lorber argues that gender system today maintains structured gender inequality to produce a subordinate