Affirmative action is sometimes used to describe programs and strategies aimed at women only. There is a specific law which says that all employers with 100 or more employees and all higher education institutions must develop and implement affirmative action measures to promote equal opportunity for women, to ensure that women are able to compete equally for opportunities. Harassment is any unwelcome behaviour, including words and pictures, that is offensive, belittling or abusive to another person or group of people. It can involve conduct which may not necessarily target a particular person but which still affects that individual or group. Federal and state anti-discrimination legislation make harassment unlawful on a number of grounds, including race, sex, age, marital status, pregnancy, sexuality, religious or political views and disability.
Sexual harassment is one form of unlawful harassment.
Sexual harassment can include such behaviour as unwelcome verbal comments of a sexual nature, unwanted and deliberate physical contact, unwelcome demands for or offers of sexual favours, displaying sexually explicit images or material, offensive jokes or gestures of a sexual nature. Discrimination is where a person is treated less favourably because they belong to a particular group or category of people. Discrimination can be direct or indirect. Discrimination on the basis of sex, race, age, marital status, pregnancy, sexuality, religious or political views and disability is unlawful. An example of direct discrimination would be refusing to give someone a job because they were from a particular group.