The law governing sexual harassment in the workplace defines sexual ha
rassment as unwelcome, sex-based conduct that renders harm through wor
k interactions or creation of a hostile work environment. Unresolved l
egal issues remain concerning the amount and kind of proof required to
establish certain elements of a sexual harassment claim and relating
to an employer's legal responsibility for sexually harassing conduct b
y someone other than a managing or supervisory employee, Problems also
arise in applying the law to the factual circumstances of a specific
case, testing the credibility of the parties' claims and proof, concep
tualizing relief, and valuing damage. Social science research (includi
ng major contributions in this volume) provides important guidance for
both the legal and factual determination of a sexual harassment claim
, Drawing primarily from federal employment discrimination statutory a
nd case law, the author describes the proof required to establish a cl
aim of workplace sexual harassment, delineates the primary areas of co
ntroversy in the law, and discusses the contribution that social scien
ce research has made and can make to legal analyses.