Costs vs. Compensation: Legal and Policy Recommendations for Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment

Authors

Heather McLaughlin, Oklahoma State University, Department of SociologyFollow
Christine Thomas, Oklahoma State University, Department of SociologyFollow

Document Type

Symposium Article

Abstract

The recent #MeToo Movement has unequivocally shown that workplace sexual harassment is a widespread issue. Since December 2017, workers around the globe have shared personal stories of sexual harassment, as well as the tolls it caused on their health and careers. In this Article, we review extant interdisciplinary research on the negative consequences of sexual harassment for workers’ physical, psychological, and behavioral health; their career and earnings trajectories; and for broader organizational culture. Understanding these costs sheds light on how best to reduce and respond to workplace sexual harassment. We offer three suggestions for law and policy: (1) expand legal protection against sexual harassment to all workers, (2) increase award damages, and (3) update internal sexual harassment policies and procedures to reflect best practices. We conclude by arguing that sexual harassment is an urgent workplace issue that must be addressed in contemporary workplaces.

Recommended Citation

Heather McLaughlin & Christine Thomas, Costs vs. Compensation: Legal and Policy Recommendations for Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment, 14 St. Louis U. J. Health L. & Pol'y (2020).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/jhlp/vol14/iss1/8