Laws in America have reflected the way that men have viewed and treated women. Similar to rape, incest, and battering, sexual harassment may be understood as an extreme acting out of qualities that are regarded as "supermasculine," i.e., aggression, power, dominance, and force. Men who sexually harass women are not pathological; rather, their behaviors reflect the masculine gender role conditioned by social learning in American society. Sexual harassment is a major barrier to women's professional and personal development, as well as a traumatic force that disrupts and damages their personal lives. For ethnic-minority women who have been sexually harassed, economic vulnerability is paramount. Women feel powerless and afraid in an atmosphere of harassment. An agenda for change in the 21st century requires that more be done by elected officials, public policymakers, religious institutions, educational institutions, the criminal justice system, the media, and business and labor organizations to ensure that not only laws but social and economic conditions reflect gender equality. In the new century, more sexual harassment cases will be heard, and legal procedures and precedents will be established to ensure that complainants will receive a fairer hearing than before. 14 references