Sexual harassment claims filed by men with the US Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) made up 15 per cent of all charges last year. Of
the 13,566 charges, almost 2,000 were by men, compared to just 958 in 1992.
Many claims involve male-on-male harassment, and high-profile lawsuits.
Often, the cases involve heterosexuals targeting colleagues who behave
effeminately.
One case ended with a payout by toy store Babies R Us to an employee who
said he was mocked with derogatory comments from other men because he did not
conform to society stereotypes.
A major US
car retailer also recently found itself in court, and ended up paying $500,000
(£278,600) to former salesmen who said they were harassed and molested by male
managers.
Such harassment may be more prevalent, but rising claims are also due to a
1998 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed same-sex harassment.
Overall, US employers paid out $50m (£27.9m) last year to settle sexual
harassment cases in which the EEOC was involved.
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