Sexual harassment claims by men are increasing due to many factors.

Despite the existence of training and laws, sexual harassment still happens. And sometimes male employees are the victims. Of all sexual harassment complaints received between 2010 and 2013 by the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, over 16 percent of them involved male victims.

Sexual harassment of men by women

One factor contributing to the growing number of claims of sexual harassment of men by women is that women historically have not held positions of power to give the opportunity for them to impose such power over their male subordinates, according to Forbes Magazine. With more and more women in leadership roles today, however, that is changing.

Sexual harassment of male employees happens across the nation. Some examples of cases involve the following:

A Texas law enforcement officer sued his former female superior based upon claims that he was subject to repeated sexual behaviors and requests over a period of several months. The case, as reported by the International Business Times, went to trial and the jury awarded the victim $200,000 more than was originally requested.
Male employees made claims against the female then-chief of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that led to her resignation, according to the New York Daily News.
A recent case was filed against a restaurant chain for its refusal to consider male candidates for summer employment. According to a report in Take Part, the EEOC received complaints from two men and has subsequently filed the lawsuit against the company. In this case, the EEOC’s lawsuit was based upon the company’s alleged violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Sexual harassment of men by men

Sexual harassment of men can be between
men and men. Regardless of the gender of the perpetrator, sexual harassment of men comes in forms similar to sexual harassment of women. Unwanted sexual advances or comments are among common complaints. However, hazing is a problem that can be more unique to harassment of a male employee by a male superior.

What should employees do?

It can be difficult to know exactly what to do when harassing behavior is experienced. Fears of retribution, job loss and more can keep people from taking action. However, it is important that any person in California who is the victim of sexual harassment seek legal help immediately.

All California employees deserve the right to safe and fair environments when they are at work or when they are applying for jobs. As noted in the Society for Human Resources Management, California has a law referred to as AB 1825 which requires a minimum of two hours of sexual harassment training for every person holding a supervisory role every two years. This law is one way to help guard against this form of discrimination and to help victims of sexual harassment.

Keywords: sexual, harassment, job, employee