When you think about sexual harassment in Chaska, Minnesota, you may instantly think of the man as the aggressor and the woman as the victim. You may not consider the fact that men can be victims too. Yet the number of men reporting sexual harassment in the workplace is on the rise. In 2011, out of all the sexual harassment complaints reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other labor law agencies, 16.3 percent were filed by males. This is up from 13.6 percent in 2000.
Unfortunately, young men seem to be particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment in the workplace. Some may not understand that the harassment is illegal or where they can go to get help. Others worry about losing their job.
A man who is now 30 years old reported being sexually harassed at his first job by a coworker who was a few years older than him. He never reported the harassment which continued for three weeks. He said that he was “caught off guard” when the woman tried to kiss him after backing him into a corner and groping him.
Because particular fields of employment like fast-food restaurants and retail stores tend to hire teenagers and young men in their 20s, these industries can have a higher number of sexual harassment incidences.
If you have been the victim of sexual harassment where you work whether you are male or female, you may want to consider speaking with an attorney experienced in employment law to discuss your case.
Source: Oregon Live, “Young men increasingly complain of workplace violations: Teen sexual harassment,” Laura Gunderson, Apr. 3, 2014