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EEOC Says More Men are Filing Workplace Harassment Claims

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The Houston Chronicle reports that women in the United States file the overwhelming majority of sexual harassment claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. However, sexual harassment claims dealing with men are on the rise. According to EEOC, the percentage of sexual harassment claims filed by men doubled from 8 percent to 16 percent of all claims, from 1990 to 2009.

"It's certainly possible that there's more sexual harassment of men going on, but it could just be that more men are coming forward and complaining about it," said employment lawyer Ernest Haffner, who works with EEOC's Office of Legal Counsel.

Sexual harassment claims that are filed by men often allege harassment by female supervisors and co-workers or men harassing other men. A landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1998 held that same-sex harassment is a valid claim under federal anti-discrimination laws. The case involved Joseph Oncale, who worked for an offshore services company owned by Houston-based Nabors Industries. He alleged that male co-workers and male supervisors made lewd advances toward him, where he eventually quit his job out of fear that he would be raped. He and his employment lawyer eventually reached a settlement with the firm.

Houston employment lawyers have now seen many sexual harassment cases filed by male workers, since Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services. More than 2,000 of the approximately 12,700 sexual harassment complaints that EEOC received last year were from men. FindLaw states that sexual harassment in the workplace is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Legal trouble usually arises when an employer knew about a harassing behavior, but failed to take action.

Related Resources:

  • Sexual Harassment: Actions You Can Take (FindLaw)
  • How to Spot Sexual Harassment: 6 Facts (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life blog)
  • Houston Employment Lawyers Directory (FindLaw)

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