Although the public has recognized sexual harassment as a serious issue, there is still no widely agreed upon definition of the concept. Anne Fischer, who answers reader questions about conduct in the workplace in her “Ask Annie” column in Fortune magazine, revealed that after publishing one letter from a reader who was confused about sexual harassment, she received “a torrent of e-mails pretty clearly demonstrating that on this subject, lots of folks are utterly clueless.”

Initially, the courts only recognized sexual harassment cases in which women were compelled to trade sexual favors for professional survival. This is known as quid pro quo or “this for that” sexual harassment, and it occurs when employment decisions on hiring, promotion, transfer, discipline, or termination are made on the basis of submission to or rejection of unwelcome sexual conduct. For example, in July of 1994, the Pittsburgh...