Introduction
Message from President Schmidly
Objectives
What is Sexual Harassment?
Court Cases
The Law
Definition of Sexual Harassment
Unwelcomeness: What Does It Mean?
Exercises
Types of Harassment
Retaliation
The Costs of Sexual Harassment
Other Discriminatory Harassment
What if you experience sexual harassment?
UNM Sexual Harassment Policy
Knowledge Test
Conclusion

Sex Discrimination

Sex (or sexual) discrimination refers to discrimination based on sex (or gender). Sexual harassment is a type of sex discrimination but it refers to harassment of a sexual nature. This may be a subtle distinction and media reports may confuse or interchange the two. What is important to remember is that both are types of discrimination based on sex, as defined by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the EEOC. In the case of Sheila White of Burlington Northern, she claimed discrimination based on her gender, because her colleagues thought a woman should not be doing the job she held, and that led to a change in her work duties. She did not claim sexual harassment, which is harassment of a "sexual nature" but this case is very important in its implications for retaliation against anyone who might report sexual harassment.