Wall’s View of Sexual Harassment
Despite the massive publicity concerning the challenges of sexual harassment in the workplace, few firms have yet to take the necessary steps to eliminate the vice. Although the enterprises know it exists, they are unsure of how to manage the peril. Various definitions of the concept have been accorded by philosophical, legal, and managerial disciplines. However, Wall’s says that the meanings omit the interpersonal elements of sexual harassment. This article entails a comparison of the frameworks provided by Feary and Wall concerning sexual harassment.
According to Wall, the mental status of the victim and the perpetrator should be the fundamental defining elements of the concept. It is often argued that sexual harassment entails a type of invasive communication whereby the victim’s rights are disregarded. For instance, in a situation where the manager openly stares at a female employee in a manner that seems to undress her with his eyes, Wall outlines that the worker has the choice either to give consent or not. He attributes sexual harassment as the ability to define the mental state of the perpetrator considering where the mind has drifted (Wall, 410).
Feary’s Arguments against Wall’s View
Feary provides that the corporate environment is still yet to understand the concept of sexual harassment. For them to eliminate the issue, they will have to let go of certain misconceptions. She adds that sexual harassment does not result from the ignorance of policies. Unlike Wall’s view of behavioral patterns, Feary attributes sexual harassment as a moral problem that arises from communication, gender, and cultural factors. The philosopher proceeds to highlight the myths that have prevented the business surrounding from taking the peril seriously. They include the ambiguous joke that ethics in corporate governance is an oxymoron, that is, an enterprise should not adopt morals seriously (Feary, 413).
Feary adds that sexual harassment should not be classified as a problem in the communications in a firm that results from factual disagreements and ignorance, gender and cultural differences, or confusions in the murky concept. The human resource department offers education that is not helpful because it does not consider the role of authority in inflicting sexual harassment and the potential to abuse the organizational power in the job market. The vice emerges from the distress it offers to the victim. Here, she goes against the ideology presented by Wall of consent as the determining factor in a sexual harassment case. The scholar says that as long as the situation creates a sense of discomfort to the victim, it stands as a sexual assault. She also adds that Wall’s framework is too narrow excluding essential remarks that most people would like included (Feary, 416).
The Framework
The two philosophers present two strong concepts that can be used to distinguish sexual harassment from the usual daily occurrences that people encounter in the workplace. First, it is vital to realize the behavioral patterns depicted by Wall do have a significant impact in a sexual assault. Also, consent can be an appropriate perspective to term an incident as sexual harassment or not. The concept of consent is further emphasized by the Feary’s ideology of distress. The emotional or physical harm caused by a non-consensual sexual assault case should be present. The three measures can assist in the identification of the incidences even before they happen.
It is also essential to notice that sexual harassment is indeed a moral issue that is still prevalent in the corporate surrounding. Hence, plenty needs to be done to change the mental states of the perpetrators. The firms can employ stricter rules and measures that will prevent subordinates not to feel afraid if they are facing assault from people in powerful positions. They should also let go of the myths that prohibit them from resolving the matter critically. The workers’ right should be observed to maintain growth, development, and fairness in the organizations.
Works Cited
Feary, Macy. Sexual Harassment: Why the Corporate World Still Doesn’t Get It? Hiring, Firing, and Discriminating, 2013.
Wall, Edmund. The Definition of Sexual Harassment. Hiring, Firing, and Discriminating, 2013.
