Women are too often harassed in the workplace because of their sex and are often not viewed as equals to men. Whether it’s your mother, your sister, your aunt, your daughter or yourself, every woman deserves to be treated with respect.

A survey by the The Huffington Post reported that of 1 in 3 women who are harassed in their workplace, 75 percent said they were sexually harassed by their male co-workers, 49 percent by their male customers, 38 percent by their male managers and 10 percent by their female co-workers.

These harassed women are often seen by offenders as sex objects or as the mother figure instead of an employee in the workplace. So, as a result, many men do not take women seriously and do not think women should be in the same field as them.

Sexual harassment is defined by Merriam-Webster as “uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature especially by a person in authority toward a subordinate (as an employee or student).” 

President-elect Donald Trump has been accused of sexually harassing multiple women, including kissing, grabbing women’s breasts, touching below the waist without permission, and raping his ex-wife, Ivana Trump. For most of them he has not responded to the allegations, but for the ones that he has, he has denied doing anything.

All hirings should be accompanied by an emphasis on not tolerating any sort of harassment, and an explanation that the employee will be punished if they break that rule — getting fired or forced to take a leave of absence.

The workplace managers should explain that upper management is open to hearing any concerns. To make a difference, employees should be told what harassment is.

It is a communication issue, because in order to stop any sort of harassment toward women in the workplace, the employees need to be educated on what it means to harass someone and the consequences that will follow if the rules are broken. This needs to happen before it comes down to a woman becoming a sex object for her co-worker because he thinks he can get away with it.

A woman is a “sex object” if her attractiveness is being paid more attention to than the work she is doing for the company. Instead of being recognized for her accomplishments, the woman would be promoted or brought to more events because she is attractive. A woman’s body should not be a bargaining chip to use or something to look at when you are bored.

The affects sexual harassment can have on women include depression, anxiety, weight loss or gain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Discussing harassment and how it can be sexual, starting at a young age, should be incorporated into health classes. Some people may not even know they are harassing someone. 

I have experienced harassment, and the gross feeling will never leave you. Do not create a living nightmare for someone who is just trying to work like everyone else.