SEXUAL HARASSMENT: TYPES, SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The sexual harassment refers to sexual advances inappropriate, demands for sexual favors or other, non - verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature unwanted verbal behavior that occurs in personal or professional environment.

Although it is a manifestation little accepted in society, it still shows a series of behaviors that make themselves invisible and which must be given full attention in order to eradicate them.

Types of bullying

Its main characteristic is the superiority of power and control that the stalker makes use of, as can be seen in two of the most frequent types of sexual harassment:

"Quid pro quo"

One of the most common forms of sexual harassment is that which is established in the hierarchy of an organization, (for example in a company or at the university) and in which the harasser takes advantage of his position, to ask for sexual favors in return of a salary increase or passing an exam.

Sexual harassment generating a hostile environment

This type of sexual harassment occurs when unwanted conduct of a sexual nature creates a work, school, or social environment characterized by intimidation and threat. This affects the victim's ability to participate in the environment. This brings with it, as we will see later, a series of negative consequences.

However, this type of harassment can also be generated by a person towards another with greater power, such as that produced by an employee towards his boss or from a student towards his teacher.

Despite what has been seen so far, sexual harassment can occur in many more ways, which depend mainly on three factors: the profile of the harasser, the victimology and the context in which it occurs.

The stalker: personality traits and forms of behavior

The way of acting and the motives of the bullies to carry out their actions depend mainly on their personality traits, so we can establish a classification according to the different poles that make it up.

-According to privacy

First we distinguish between public and private stalkers.

Public stalkers

They openly carry out sexist behaviors or attitudes, since they like to show off them by making them feel more powerful in this way. An example of this type of harasser would be a worker who makes jokes or sexual comments when a woman passes near their work area.

The private stalkers

They would be those who show a calm and conservative facet towards others, but who with their objective show their true self, before which, the victim is faced with the dilemma of "my word against yours", since he considers that it would be difficult for anyone to believe that said person harassed her.

-According to the level of consciousness

On the other hand, we find two types of stalkers who differ in the level of awareness they have about the consequences of their actions.

Narcissists

They carry out their actions as a form of defiance to what is established, so they do not take into account the possible consequences that may arise from them. They consider themselves in control and see themselves as untouchable.

The conscious

They understand the risks involved in their behavior, so they are caught in the dilemma posed by the immorality of their actions on the one hand and the excitement they produce on the other.

Thus, their victim of sexual harassment symbolizes the transgression of the norms, for which they tend to blame her, thus placing them in the position of victim who has not been able to do anything to prevent what happened.

-According to intensity

Third, we can make a distinction according to the intensity with which the bullying occurs.

The active stalker

He despises his victims, so he blackmails them and uses them from the power of his status to satisfy his own needs for affection and desire.

The passive stalker

He is the one who begins by flirting with his victim in a conservative way, hoping that finally it is he who takes the first step. This allows him to claim that he is not guilty of any crime since it was the victim who initiated the contact. This last type of bullying occurs mainly in teacher-student sexual relations.

On the other hand, depending on the nature of the harassment, we find the stalker whose goal is fundamentally sexual, so he tends to seduce many people and his conquests are simple numbers for him.

In this dynamic we find the stalker who develops loving feelings towards the victim. The latter wishes to be admired and his relationship with the victim, with whom there is an imbalance of power, serves as a reinforcement for his low self-esteem.

Although the opposite situation could also occur, in which the stalker had a lower power situation with respect to the victim, therefore, said harassment would be based on erotomania.

Indicative signs of sexual harassment

As we discussed at the beginning, any conduct of a sexual nature, whether physical, verbal or non-verbal, can be indicative that a case of sexual abuse is taking place. Here we show you some of the most frequent:

Physical

- Give a massage around the neck or shoulders.

- Touching a person's clothing, hair or body.

- Hugging, kissing, caressing or rubbing with another person.

- Touching or rubbing oneself in a sexual way in front of another person.

- Staying very close to the other person.

Verbal

- Refer to someone with the following qualifiers: "babe", "hot guy", "doll", "cute" or "sweetheart".

- Whistle at someone.

- Make sexual comments about someone's body.

- Make sexual comments or innuendo.

- Use topics related to the sex of the other person.

- Tell jokes or stories of a sexual nature.

- Ask about someone's sexual fantasies, preferences or sexual history.

- Ask personal questions about someone's sexual or social life.

- Make kissing, howling sounds and lip smacking.

- Make sexual comments about someone's clothing, anatomy or look.

- Repeatedly asking out someone who is not interested.

- Lying or spreading rumors about someone's sex life.

Non-verbal

- Look someone up and down (make the "elevator" with your eyes).

- Stare at someone.

- Do not allow someone to pass.

- Follow another person.

- Make personal gifts.

- Show images of a sexual nature to another person.

- Make sexual gestures with the hands or through movements with the body.

- Wink an eye, blow kisses or lick lips.

Consequences

Victims of sexual harassment can experience a number of significant physical and psychological effects. Among them we can highlight anxiety, depression, headaches, weight loss or gain, nausea, sleep disorders or low self-esteem.

In addition, it can generate problems related to the area in which they occur, such as a decrease in job or school satisfaction, which can ultimately lead to job loss or change of classroom.

As for the consequences that their actions may entail for bullies, these vary depending on the severity of the bullying. There may therefore be mild sanctions, such as a verbal or written reprimand; or other more serious ones such as suspension, reassignment, demotion or dismissal from the job. They may also be required to attend some type of therapy.

Tips for Victims of Sexual Harassment

Below we will show you a series of recommendations that can help those who suffer or have suffered sexual harassment:

• Talk to another person about what happened.
• You know what you felt and what you went through, so don't let others tell you how you must have felt at that moment.
• Join a support group of people who have been through the same situation.
• Write about your experience and how you felt, and share your story with others.
• Don't blame yourself or be ashamed; accept that it was not your fault, that you did not cause that situation.

Prevalence

Most studies on the prevalence of sexual harassment refer to that which occurs in the workplace, although as we have seen, it can also occur in the school or social environment.

In addition, these studies are carried out in response to sexual harassment that occurs mainly; the one that women suffer from men. However, as we discussed earlier, sexual harassment can also occur between people of the same sex or from a woman to a man.

Only in Europe, the percentage of women who have suffered some type of sexual harassment in the workplace ranges between 40 and 50%. Verbal sexual harassment is the most common (2 out of 3 harassed women experience it), although inappropriate physical contact is quite common as well.

The results of a survey carried out by Cosmopolitan magazine among 2,235 working women (both part-time and full-time) should be highlighted. In relation to age, 1 in 3 women between 18 and 34 years old had suffered sexual harassment at work.

However, it is striking that 16% of the respondents answered "no" when asked if they had been sexually harassed at work but said "yes" when asked if they had received any type of sexist or sexually explicit comment.

In relation to the forms of sexual harassment they had suffered, verbal sexual harassment was the most common, with 81%. In addition, 44% acknowledged having suffered inappropriate touching and sexual advances, and 25% said they had received obscene emails or texts.

The most frequent stalker profile according to the survey is that of a co-worker, with 75%. Other bullies were clients (49%), bosses (38%) and coworkers (10%).

Regarding the labor sector in which sexual harassment occurs, the hotel industry has the highest percentage (42%), while in areas such as education or medicine the percentage of cases is lower (23 and 21% respectively).

Undoubtedly, the most disturbing data is the percentage of women who reported harassment (29%, of which only 15% believed that their complaint would be treated fairly) compared to those who did not file any type of complaint (71 %).

Finally, of the women who suffered sexual harassment, 45% had high school studies, 29% were pursuing a university degree, and 19% were university graduates.

conclusion

Sexual harassment is a scourge that unfortunately still prevails in our society and that, therefore, it is everyone's responsibility to try to eradicate it. It is a problem that involves cultural, social, educational and labor aspects, so a comprehensive reform in these strata would be the most beneficial.

In certain cultures, sexual harassment is not only not punishable but is encouraged through behaviors and ways of acting that are appropriate to gender stereotypes, and if a woman dares to report, she is often considered guilty of "provoking" the man. In fact, in acts as serious as rape, the woman is often forced to marry her aggressor in order not to tarnish the honor of the family.

Education is another important aspect, since women are often seen as a sexual object, which implies that gender inequality is generated from childhood, leading to this type of degrading behavior.

Therefore, it is everyone's responsibility to ensure that sexual harassment is a thing of the past and that equality is part of our present and our future.