Sexual harassment is an issue that most large employers take seriously and have instituted strict sexual harassment policies as well as educational programs. But for women, sexual harassment may still be a problem in some workplaces. Part of the reason may be that women and men have different definitions of what sexual harassment is and what behavior constitutes sexual harassment.

A study at the University of Missouri found that men generally think that only someone in a position of power - a supervisor or manager - can sexually harass. They view sexual harassment between co-workers as “misunderstandings”.

But women view sexual harassment itself as a bid for power, regardless of the position of the harasser, says Debbie Dougherty, assistant professor of communication in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

“The fact that men and women were using the same word to describe different behaviors may contribute to the continued existence of sexual harassment,” she said. “So if a man thinks that sexual harassment only comes from a supervisor, he may feel free to make sexual comments to a female coworker. The female coworker is likely to see the sexual comments as a quest for power and label it as sexual harassment.”

Dougherty cites the study data as proof of the importance of sexual harassment training.

Power and Sexual Harassment: Men and Women See Things Differently

Recently, Chariman of the Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke, predicted dire economic consequences of having left the issue of Social Security so late. His remarks concern the impending retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, with the first of them just one year from retirement age.

But will it be as economically destructive as we think? Some say: not necessarily.

The plain fact is that most boomers have not done enough to plan for retirement and won’t be retiring at age 65 because they simply can’t afford to. A survey conducted by Merrill Lynch found that nearly 80% of boomers intend to keep working beyond age 65.

Although boomers are expected to live longer than any other generation in American history, potentially bankrupting Social Security and Medicare, improved health will also allow them to work longer and continue to contribute to the economy, rather than retiring. Additionally, better health (as evidenced by the dropping rates of death from heart disease, stroke and even cancer) indicate that the boomer retirees will be less dependent than other generations, lowering medical costs and long-term care expenditures.

The boomer generation has always been different and did everything differently from all generations that came before them. Their ideas and actions changed the face of society and perhaps the course of history. When it comes to growing older, it is likely they will do that differently from other generations as well.