The experience of victimization is something that too many women are familiar with. Women and crime historically can be linked back to gender inequalities and the lack of attention they received in the criminal justice system. From classical theories of crime that fail to explain female offending behaviors to the negative treatment women have received by the correctional systems, the conditions of women's live have gone unnoticed. Although the participation of women in the system is growing and changing every day, the inequality is still present today. Sexual harassment, above all, is a manifestation of power relations and by analyzing why it happens, where it happens and policy implications put forth, one can make an understanding why it is a common problem and how we as society can make a change. .
While sexual harassment is not a new phenomenon, the legal actions towards it began 40 years ago during the 1970s when the U.S supreme court held that "sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is actionable under Title VII" following the case of Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson. Research by Lucero, Middleton, Finch, and Valentine highlight four types of offenders and why they participate in harassing others. The first type is referred to as the "persistent harassers" who enjoy the rejection they experience from their victims. There's also those who are aggressive and experience pleasure by making their victims uncomfortable this is what they call the "malicious harasser". The third type is the "exploitative harasser" that holds power and control over their target and lastly, there's the "vulnerable harasser" who tend to have lower self-esteem and their intentions stem from a desired romantic relationship with their target. Women are more likely to be victims of sexual harassment because they more often than men lack power, and are in more vulnerable and insecure positions.
