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Full-Text Articles in Law
License To Harass Women: Requiring Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment To Be “Severe Or Pervasive” Discriminates Among “Terms And Conditions Of Employment, Judith J. Johnson
License To Harass Women: Requiring Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment To Be “Severe Or Pervasive” Discriminates Among “Terms And Conditions Of Employment, Judith J. Johnson
Journal Articles
Title VII was intended to remedy discrimination; thus, it is ironic that the courts themselves discriminate among "terms and conditions of employment" by treating hostile environment discrimination less favorably, most commonly in sexual harassment cases. As the Supreme Court said in its first sexual harassment case, hostile environment harassment must be "severe or pervasive" to be actionable. However, many lower courts have used this language to excuse harassment against women. This Article suggests that the problem originates in the Court's continued use of the phrase "severe or pervasive" to describe actionable conduct. This rather dramatic terminology in fact overstates the …