Defining sexual harassment is one of the law's newest frontiers, since it covers such a wide range conduct. In essence, there are two general types of sexual harassment: Quid pro quo harassment and condition of work harassment. "Quid pro quo harassment describes a situation in which a person in authority, typically a male, requires sexual favors from an employee, typically a female, in return for an employment advantage, such as getting hired, getting promoted, obtaining better working conditions, or not getting fired" (Aaron, and Isakben 22). Condition of work harassment, also known as environment or workplace harassment, is less direct, and arises when an employee is subjected to requests for sexual favors, sexual comments or sexual insults, but no negative employment consequences follow from the employee's refusal to accede to the demands made on her. Sexual harassment does not only appear in an occupational environment, and this form of harassment is not limited to specific race, a specific gender, or any certain lifestyle.
Sexual Harassment can be defined as an unwelcome sexual advance, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. These constitute sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly based on a term or condition of an individual's employment. Submission to, or rejection of, such contact by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. A hostile environment includes "hazing, joking, and sexual suggestive talk between men and women who work alongside them.
In 1988, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission amended its guidelines to extend legal responsibility for the behavior of non-employees as well (Aaron, and Isakben 15).