Sexual Harassment Defined   

Sexual harassment is illegal under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines such harassment as "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment;

• submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual; or

• such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment."