Draft version 1.7 beta — Revised October 30, 2026

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Discrimination or harassment

A topic page linked from Chapter 4, § 5, Examples of Reported Violations of Enforceable Ethics Codes.

Definition

Black's Law Dictionary ¹ defines discrimination and harassment as follows:

discrimination. n. 2. The effect of a law or established practice that confers privileges on a certain class or that denies privileges to a certain class because of race, age, sex, nationality, religion, or disability. • Federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, prohibits employment discrimination based on any one of those characteristics. Other federal statutes, supplemented by court decisions, prohibit discrimination in voting rights, housing, credit extension, public education, and access to public facilities.

harassment. (18c) Words, conduct, or action (usually repeated or persistent) that, being directed at a specific person, annoys, alarms, or causes substantial emotional distress to that person and serves no legitimate purpose.

The American Geophysical Union defines discrimination, harassment, and related terms as follows:²

Discrimination means unequal or unfair treatment in professional opportunities, education, benefits, evaluation, and employment (such as hiring, termination, promotion, compensation) as well as retaliation and various types of harassment. Discriminatory practices can be explicit or implicit, intentional, or unconscious.

Harassment is a type of discrimination that consists of a single intense and severe act, or of multiple persistent or pervasive acts, which are unwanted, unwelcome, demeaning, abusive, or offensive. Offensive conduct constitutes harassment when 1) it becomes a condition of an opportunity, education, benefit, evaluation, or employment or 2) the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work or educational environment that most people would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. These acts may include epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping based on gender, race, sexual identity, or other categories, as protected by U.S. federal law. Also included are threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; denigrating jokes and displays;&ennsp;or circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or a group.

Sexual harassment includes any unwanted and/or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.

Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others in the professional environment that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. These actions can include abusive criticism, humiliation, the spreading of rumors, physical and verbal attacks, isolation, undermining, and professional exclusion of individuals through any means.
Footnote:  Microaggression is another term sometimes used in describing unwelcome behavior against underrepresented groups. Psychologists have defined microaggression as brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership. ³

The Geological Society of America's definitions of these terms follow:⁴

Discrimination means treating individuals differently because of protected characteristics, resulting in unfair treatment and the denial of opportunities in educational, employment, funding, and/or other professional activities.

Protected characteristics are factors that are not relevant and must not be considered in making decisions about an individual’s competence or qualifications. This includes race, ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, creed, religion, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, medical condition, pregnancy, education, class, political affiliation, and parental status.

Harassment is a type of discrimination characterized by unwanted, demeaning, disrespectful behavior toward individuals based on protected characteristics. Harassing behavior ranges from verbal comments, such as epithets and slurs, to visual displays to physical conduct, such as threatening or blocking someone’s way.

Sexual harassment means unwelcome or unsolicited sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, conversations about sexual activities, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Bullying means using power or perceived vulnerability to harm, intimidate, coerce, and/or sabotage an individual's professional or academic work or efforts. Bullying may occur in person, in writing, or via any form of electronic communication.

Plainly, these major geoscience associations take issues of discrimination and harassment very seriously.

Relevant provisions in geoethics codes

AEG – § 3.2; AGI – § 1.8, 1.9; AGU – § IIIB2,IIIB12-13, IIID, IIIE; AIPG – § 4.4.1; ASBOG – § 16-10; GSA – § 4.

Code Abbreviations

• AEG — Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists, AEG Code of Conduct (2018), Link to current document
• AGI — American Geosciences Institute, AGI Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct (2015), Link to current document
• AGU — American Geophysical Union, AGU Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics (2023), Link to current document
• AIPG — American Institute of Professional Geologists, AIPG Code of Ethics (2019), Link to current document
• ASBOG — Association of State Boards of Geology, Model Rules and Regulations, Section 16, Code of Ethics (2019), Link to current document; see pages 27 to 29.
• GSA — Geological Society of America, GSA Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct (2023), Link to current document

Notes and References

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