Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a pervasive social problem in the United States. In recent years, literature on sexual harassment has rapidly expanded, as increasing attention has been directed toward this legal and moral issue. This bibliography surveys the large amount of literature on sexual harassment published between 1984 and 1994. Included are entries for books, dissertations, and articles, with entries arranged in topical chapters. Entries for books and articles include descriptive annotations, and a chronology traces the recent history of sexual harassment in the United States.

The problem of sexual harassment was with us long before the highly publicized 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. However, Anita Hill's testimony regarding sexual harassment captured the nation and sparked a public debate on what had been treated as a private issue. Because of its subjective nature, sexual harassment has been difficult to quantify and define. As a result of the pervasiveness and complexity of sexual harassment, there is now an enormous body of literature on the topic. This book is a guide to the available material.

From the more than 1,000 citations found by the authors, the bibliography has been limited to some 534 books, articles, and dissertations. The works were chosen for their scholarly, original, or creative contribution to sexual harassment literature. Materials generally excluded were newspaper articles, popular press publications, anecdotal reports, and editorial comments or letters. Entries are arranged in topical chapters, and entries for books and articles include descriptive annotations. A chronology traces major developments in sexual harassment legislation in the United States from the 1964 Civil Rights Act to a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case.