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The controversial topic of sexual harassment in the United States is explored in this unique collection of over 90 documents. The political and social aspects of the concept of sexual harassment are examined through such documents as legal cases that defined and prohibited sexual harassment, government documents, major studies, and newspaper accounts of major developments concerning sexual harassment. Each document is accompanied by an explanatory introduction to help high school and college students understand how that particular document fits into larger trends, while also making it more accessible to the reader.
The question of what sexual harassment is and how we have developed an awareness of the concept in the late twentieth century is explored in detail in six separate sections. The first section reviews the definition of sexual harassment and why it is considered illegal. The next three sections investigate sexual harassment as it has arisen in three contexts: employment, the military, and education. The fifth section examines the ways laws have been expanding beyond the areas of employment, the military and education. The final section provides the most current rulings of the Supreme Court involving sexual harassment. These six sections provide a comprehensive history that explores legal prohibitions on sexual harassment, setting forth important historical cases, while focusing on current areas of controversy, such as same-sex sexual harassment and free speech issues.
List of contents
Introduction
Defining Sexual HarassmentHow Sexual Harassment Became Illegal
Definitions of Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment in EmploymentThe Prevalance of Sexual Harassment in Employment
Laws Prohibiting Sexual Harassment in Employment
Early Sexual Harassment Cases
The Supreme Court Speaks
Proving "Unwelcomeness"
Legal Responsibility for Sexual Harassment
Remedies Available in Cases of Harassment
Evidence about the Plaintiff's Sexual History
Same-Sex Harassment
Special Issues in Hostile Environment Harassment
Sexual Harassment by Government Officials
Lawsuits Brought by Those Accused of Harassment
Sexual Harassment in the MilitaryThe Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in the Military
The Tailhook Scandal
Military Regulation of Sexual Harassment
More Recent Military Sexual Harassment Scandals
Sexual Harassment in EducationLaws Prohibiting Sexual Harssment in Education
Development of the Law Against Sexual Harassment in Education
The Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in Educational Institutions
Harassment by School Employees
Harassment by Peers
Same-Sex Harassment
When the Very Young Are Accused of Harassment
Sexual Harassment and Academic Freedom
New Frontiers in Sexual Harassment LawSexual Harassment in Housing
Sexual Harassment in Other Contexts
The Supreme Court's Decisions from 1998Index
About the author
LAURA W. STEIN is Associate Professor of Law at New York Law School. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Ms. Stein has published articles about labor and employment law and and feminist theory.
