Sexual harassment has turned the workplace into a dangerous place to live. It's becoming a place where an innocent remark can threaten a perfectly good career. It's not like the old days, when a kiss was just a kiss, a wink just a wink or a joke just a joke. These innocent gestures will no longer be acceptable in the workplace, unless you want to risk ending up before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on charges of violating Title Seven of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in hiring based on race, sex, creed, religion or country of origin. After the Clarance Thomas and Bob Packwood cases, sexual harassment cases have multiplied enormously. In 1990 the EEOC handled 6,127 complaints, by 1993 the annual total had nearly doubled to 11,908. Sexual harassment laws need to be clarified, because people's lives are being changed in a negative way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhat is Sexual Harassment? There are actually two definitions: the common sense/behavioral definition or the guidelines established by the EEOC and the courts. The common sense or behavioral definition of sexual harassment is “deliberate and/or repeated sexual or sex-based behavior that is unwanted, unsolicited, and unreciprocated.” EEOC guidelines state that unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical actions of a sexual nature become illegal when related to a manager's or supervisor's decision regarding hiring, firing, compensation, promotion , job assignment, or other aspects of employment, or when such behavior interferes with an employee's ability to perform the job or creates a hostile and offensive work environment (Sexual Harassment, Meyer, M, (1981)) . In many cases the sexual harassment is clearly evident. Take the case against Hooters Restaurants for example. The women working there were required to wear a tight t-shirt with "HOOTERS" written across the chest (Newsweek, 1993). Another instance of sexual harassment was when the woman's boss said things like, "We're going to the Holiday Inn to negotiate your raise," or "You're just stupid." This boy also asked the female employees to put their hands in his trouser pockets to retrieve change (New Republic, 1993). These cases are clear examples of what sexual harassment is. In other cases, however, the sexual harassment is not really evident or has not really been proven. Yet decisions are being made and heavy punishments are being applied. There was a recent case in Rhode Island, where a woman sued her former lawyer/lover for $225,000. She claimed that he had forced her to have sexual intercourse with him. the problem with this particular case is that she had intercourse with this man approximately 200 times over the course of 18 months. They had even discussed marriage (Mens Health, 1994). She had no reason to harass because she was dating this man and even thought about marrying him. She was just upset that he broke up with her. Another case with no grounds for harassment allegations was that of the University of Nebraska graduate student who was reprimanded by the head of his department after complaints from female colleagues who said he was creating a hostile work environment. He committed harassment because he had a 5x7 photo of his "wife" wearing a bikini in his office (Mens Health, 1994). How can this create a hostile environment when the photo is of his wife? The photo does not show anyone.