When Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested for sexual assault earlier this week the US was shocked by his behavior. A story in the New York Times exposed that the sexual harassment was common in the International Monetary Fund.
According to the NY Times the IMF doesn’t have a strict policy on inter-office romance. In the article, the reporter found that Strauss-Kahn had a sexual relationship with a co-worker in the past. The man who is next in line to succeed Strauss-Kahn has also engaged in relationship with a subordinate and has met with resistance.
The IMF policy states that “intimate personal relationships between supervisors and subordinates do not, in themselves, constitute sexual harassment.” One former female employee of the IMF said the atmosphere was “like the Pirates of the Caribbean,” but the lax policy towards relationships may be cultural.
In American corporations and businesses strict policies against inter-office relationships are in place to avoid incidents of sexual harassment. These strict policies aren’t instituted in the IMF.
Sexual harassment, although illegal is still a problem in the workplace. According to sexual harassment attorneys, the majority of women are harassed by their superiors. This harassment is often quid pro quo harassment, which is defined by sexual harassment lawyers as harassment that promises raises or promotions in lieu of sexual favors. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission along with sexual harassment attorneys work to eradicate the problem in order to make the workplace lass hostile for employees
