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What do Japanese young people exactly mean by 「セクハラ」? Do they think it is
negative, or only slightly negative, or not negative?

I've often heard Japanese university students throw around the term 「セクハラ」 as
something which they accuse each other of or remark that someone did to them,
but do not seem to be implying behaviors that are illegal, an unethical
violation of human rights, or particularly offensive or negative (like the
English definition of "sexual harassment" would). The Japanese casual use of
this term does not _seem_ to mean unwelcome bullying or coercion of a sexual
nature, sexist language, promise of reward for sexual favors, sexual abuse, or
sexual assault. I have heard it used involving a girl acting as if she is
reaching out to touch another girl's chest but doesn't go through with it. I
have heard it used when a girl pounced on the back of a boy and kept hugging
him from behind despite his protests. When I tried Googling 「セクハラ」 I only
found websites defining it in a serious and legal way.

I want to explain to my Japanese students that they should be careful with
this term when speaking with internationals or abroad, as it is not
appropriate in English to lightheartedly refer to oneself as inflicting or
undergoing any sort of harassment. I think I could explain this better to them
if I can better understand what they mean by the term.

Thank you!
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-09T06:32:47.997
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2015-05-28T04:55:00.497
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question
meaning loanwords wasei-eigo
What do young Japanese mean by セクハラ?
It means what it says, but the severity of the accusation changes by context,
perhaps this is because it is a non-indigenous imported word, although most
know what it means, the social context has not been set as a norm, it could be
a dead serious accusation, or just said lightly as in saying "stop hitting on
me", who says it, and how matter.

If you are to explain to Japanese students about the seriousness of the word,
you should emphasize that the word "sexual harassment" is not used as casually
as it is in Japan, that it would be like using "性的いやがらせ" which usually is not
used casually.Perhaps giving examples of slang terminology that could be used
that won't be so strong may help, although that could lead to other problems.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-09T08:33:20.093
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2015-05-28T04:55:00.497
2015-05-28T04:55:00.497
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answer