Sexual Harassment

Jennifer Saul, "Philosophy has a Sexual Harassment Problem" Salon, August 15, 2013

APA Statement on Sexual Harassment

The following statement was prepared by an ad hoc Committee on Sexual Harassment chaired by Judith Thomson and approved by the Board of Officers at its 1993 Meeting.

Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or sexually directed remarks constitute sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made a condition of academic or employment decisions, or when such conduct persists despite its rejection.

Sexual harassment is a serious violation of professional ethics, and should be regarded and treated as such by members of the profession. Colleges and universities should supply clear, fair institutional procedures under which charges of sexual harassment on campus can be brought, assessed, and acted on.

Complaints of sexual harassment at APA sponsored activities should be brought to the Chair of the Committee for the Defense of Professional Rights of Philosophers, or, if they arise in the context of placement activities, to the APA ombudsperson. Complaints of sexual harassment by or against APA staff members should be brought to the Chair of the Board.

Members of the Association who conduct employment interviews in conjunction with Divisional meetings should make sure that the conditions in which those interviews take place, and the manner in which they are conducted, are appropriately professional and unthreatening.

Members of the Association, particularly members exercising authority of any kind, are urged to be aware of this policy, and to prevent violations where possible and to take alleged violations seriously.

Originally published in Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, Vol. 67, No. 4, pp. 96-97.