Sexual Harassment Claims Involving Male Victims

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently made a surprising revelation with a report showing that sexual harassment complaints have risen by 16.4 percent (2,094 claims) in 2009 or since the start of the recession. What is even more starling is that most of these claims come from male victims.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also noted that the rise in employment litigation involving men coincides with the recession. Government data showed that from September 2008 to January 2010, nearly 4.4 million men lost their jobs compared to only 2.3 million women. In 2008, the agency also noted that sexual harassment claims by both male and female workers have increased by about 10.8 percent.

Some of the causes for the filing of sexual harassment claims by men include the following behavior:

• Unwanted sexual advances like groping
• locker room” type behavior like vulgar talk
• Horseplay with sexual connotations

These may seem unimaginable for male workers who are considered to be more tolerant and less vulnerable to workplace harassment than female workers.

However, according to some employment lawyers, the rise in employment claims –especially in discrimination - is the resulting effect of workforce reduction, where laid-off workers who cannot find a job and who have to support their families, have to choose between speaking out or live with harassment. Unlike in the past, male workers can easily find jobs and leave their issues behind.   

In California alone, sexual harassment claims by male workers against other male colleagues rose from 18.7 percent to 23.6 percent from September 2008 to January 2009.

Problems in Reporting Violations

According to the EEOC, the rise in sexual harassment claims is relatively proportional to increase in the unemployment rates. States that are hardest hit by the recession have relatively higher number of employment cases such as discrimination. On the other hand, in states where unemployment was low, the number of claims also dropped.

The federal agency also cited other factors that contribute to the rising number of sexual harassment claims by men. Employment and hiring experts say that in cases where another male is the harasser, the male victim is often hesitant to file a complaint for fear of being taken as unmanly or homosexual.

Because of this, male victims of sexual harassment claims find it difficult to come out of the open. However, due to recession and the difficulty of finding new jobs, more victims are emboldened to file employment discrimination charges against their harassers.

Filing a Discrimination Complaint with the EEOC

Although most employers would not tolerate discrimination in the workplace, it is best to report discriminatory acts or behavior at its early stage. This will help prevent the escalation of the issue that could lead to lawsuit.

Victims of discrimination such as sexual harassment can file a claim with the EEOC, which has the power to investigate complaints or file lawsuits in behalf of victims. Victims have 180 days from the date of the violation within which to file a charge.
A victim can also seek the assistance of an experienced employment discrimination lawyer to file the charges in his behalf.