The Paramour’s Advantage: Sexual Favoritism and Permissibly Unfair Discrimination

Despite the prevalence of sexual favoritism in the workplace, there is much debate over whether this phenomenon rises to the level of prohibited discrimination and harassment. While the United States Supreme Court has not yet involved itself in adjudicating issues of sexual favoritism, the Equal Emp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Employee responsibilities and rights journal 2006-06, Vol.18 (2), p.73-88
Main Authors: Gomes, Glenn M, Owens, James M, Morgan, James F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affirmative action
California
Decisions
Employment discrimination
Favoritism
Gender
Legal aspects
Liability
Personal relationships
Sex discrimination
Sexual harassment
State court decisions
Studies
Supreme court
Supreme Court decisions
Workplaces
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Summary:Despite the prevalence of sexual favoritism in the workplace, there is much debate over whether this phenomenon rises to the level of prohibited discrimination and harassment. While the United States Supreme Court has not yet involved itself in adjudicating issues of sexual favoritism, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, however, has issued guidelines. The California Supreme Court recently addressed the "sexual favoritism as sexual harassment/discrimination" issue and, absent better guidance from the federal courts, the California decision provides interesting insights for the legal and business communities. This article explores key issues involving workplace romances, sexual favoritism, and Title VII's prohibition of sexual harassment as an illegal form of discrimination based on sex. We use the recent California Supreme Court decision in Miller to illustrate the legal and managerial challenges facing policy makers and management practitioners. We conclude with a discussion of policy alternatives for creating a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace while effectively managing workplace romances and instances of sexual favoritism. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0892-7545
1573-3378
DOI:10.1007/s10672-006-9006-y