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Essay / Gender Equality and Civil Rights in the United States
In the United States, as in many parts of the world, the lack of gender equality has created many instances of harassment and discriminatory conduct and comments at the towards women in the workplace. Women are generally paid less than men and they generally hold smaller positions than men in companies. According to a 2017 analysis by the Pew Research Center of the median hourly earnings of workers in the United States: “women earned 82% of what men earned” (Graf, Brown, Patten, para 1). In 1980, the gender pay gap was 89 cents; today it is down to 18 cents. That said, although the gender pay gap has narrowed, it still exists today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In addition to pay inequality between men and women, there are sometimes also issues of gender-based conduct and harassment in the workplace. . An example of this is shown in the 1992 court case Harris v. Forklift Systems. Forklift Systems employee Teresa Harris filed a civil rights lawsuit against Forklift Systems President Charles Hardy, claiming he created an "abusive work environment," harassed and targeted her because of her sex. The magistrate found that Hardy had made several comments towards her, such as: "You're a woman, what do you know", "We need a man as rental manager", calling her a "stupid woman" and even suggesting that the two "go to the Holiday Inn to negotiate raises" (Harris v. Forklidt Systems, Inc., 510 US 17, 21 (1993). Regarding harassing and discriminatory behavior, Hardy asked female employees to reach into pants pockets to grab coins and throw items at female employees who asked them to pick up the items while making sexual suggestions regarding the employee's clothing In 1987. , Harris brought these unacceptable comments and actions to Hardy's attention. Hardy was quick to apologize and assured Harris that he was only joking, which meant no harm. Harris confronted Hardy, he made a comment in front of a Forklift customer claiming she had sex with the guy. A month later, Harris quit his job at Forklift Systems and began his trial by suing Forklift Systems. The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee found this a "conclusive case" and held that Hardy's comments and conduct did not create an abusive work environment and that the congratulations made had merely offended Harris and would be considered solely offensive. and nothing more, by a reasonable woman. Even though the court found the comments and conduct to be true through the magistrate, they concluded that Hardy's conduct and comments were not serious enough to interfere with Harris' job performance, cause him physical injuries or serious enough to negatively affect their psychological well-being. be. The United States Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit concurred and affirmed this decision. A certificate was granted to resolve a dispute between the circuits over whether the conduct was expected to cause an employee physical injury or seriously affect his or her psychological well-being. be considered an “abusive work environment”. Looking at Title VII of the Civil Rights Act..