Sexual harassment law in America: thirty years of evolution

Siddiqui, Asif

Sexual harassment law in America: thirty years of evolution

Author

Siddiqui, Asif

Date

1998

Keywords

sexual harassment, workplace

Abstract (summary)

From data generated in the 1988 Working Waman study, one estimate is that nearly 82 percent of the companies responding need immediate help in training their employees~either with a first time training effort or with additional effort to train supervisors and general employees. The survey showed that harassment can cost the typical Fortune 500 service or manufacturing company $6.7 million per year in absenteeism, turnover, and lost productivity associated with sexual harassment, at a cost of $282.53 per employee. These figures do not include the cost of litigation, responding to charges filed with regulatory agencies, destructive behavior or sabotage. On the other hand, the survey said that meaningful steps~such as employee training~can be undertaken for as little as $200,000, or $8.41 per employee. It is nearly "34 times [as] expensive to ignore the problem."

Publication Information

Siddiqui, Asif. “Sexual Harassment Law in America: Thirty Years of Evolution.” Asian Journal of Women’s Studies 4, no. 2 (1998): 87-102. doi: 10.1080/12259276.1998.11665821.