An examination of responses to sexual harassment issues in American corporations, colleges and universities, and military

Sexual harassment is a form of unlawful discrimination. Under federal law in the United States, sexual harassment is defined as unwanted verbal or' physical behavior of a sexual nature that occurs in the workplace or educational setting. Congress first prohibited discrimination based on an individual's sex when it passed the Civil Right's Act, but it was not until the mid nineteen seventies that U.S. courts began to interpret sexual harassment as a form of illegal sexual discrimination. Since that time complaints of sexual harassment have become much more common. These mandates have caused changes in American corporations, colleges and universities, and the armed forces. This study examines how laws that prohibit sexual harassment affect the groups in the study, and what correctives specific institutions are implementing to decrease incidents of sexual harassment.