Is sexual harassment a problem that can be dealt with adequately with legislation and/ or corporate policy statements?.
I believe that it takes more than just legislation or corporate policy statements to deal with sexual harassment adequately. I think there needs to be more educational programs in the workplace and in general that help both men and women understand exactly what does and does not constitute sexual harassment. Although these programs may not be the means to an end in regards to sexual harassment, they would certainly make people more informed and less confused about the sometimes ambiguous nature of sexual harassment. Legislation and corporate policy statements may not 100% perfect, but at the very least, they serve as a guideline to people in the workplace and they serve as a venue for victims to turn to when they feel they have been sexually harassed. The bottom line is that it is better to have legislation and corporate policies to protect sexual harassment victims than nothing at all. However, a lot more can be done to educate men and women about sexual harassment.
2. Will men and women ever agree on what counts as "safe" social conduct at work?.
This is a very difficult question to answer. To be quite frank, I don't think men and women will ever agree 100% percent what counts as "safe" social conduct at work. Both men and women sometimes have different perceptions as to what constitutes sexual harassment and what does not. It is also the case sometimes that a woman may get offended gestures or behavior elicited toward her by a man, but if a woman were to elicit the same behavior toward a male, there would be no offense taken by the man. What men and women need to do is to learn to empathize with each other and try to understand each other better. I think if both sexes can learn to put themselves in the shoes of the opposite sex, then they"ll be able to reasonably determine which behaviors are appropriate or inappropriate.