Defining Sexual Harassment - California vs. Federal Law

It can be difficult to characterize sexual harassment in the workplace. This is because there are both federal and state definitions of harassment.

The State of California's definition of harassment is a good example of how these two entities (the state and federal governments) can be interrelated. The State of California's Department of Justice website states that "sexual harassment in the workplace is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act."

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law. California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is a state law. Therefore, California courts take both definitions into consideration, and you need to know about both to truly understand what harassment is according to the California judicial system.

In the following slides, you will learn about each of these definitions of harassment in detail. This will help your understanding of the definition of harassment as defined by both U.S. law and California law.

To learn more about Sexual Harassment Prevention For Employees visit our Cal/OSHA Sexual Harassment Prevention For Employees Online Training web page.