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Dealing With Harassment: A Systems Approach
... Several studies (Jones et. al, 2008, Bagley et al, 1997and MSI, 2008Rowe, 1996) have illustrated the negative consequences of sexual harassment on students such as children's health and safety, enrolment and educational achievement and dignity, self-esteem and social relationships. Nearly half of all students who experiences sexual harassment feel very or somewhat upset right afterward and students experiencing physical harassment are more likely to feel very upset (AAUW Educational Foundation, 2001).SHPGOD (2010) reported the increased absenteeism and student turnover by students to avoid harassment at school. ...
... Some researchers (Jones et. al, 2008, Bagley et al, 1997and MSI, 2008Rowe, 1996) have illustrated the negative consequences of sexual harassment to students such as children's health and safety, enrolment and educational achievement and dignity, self-esteem and social relationships and also reported as major cause of anxiety and depression among girl and women. The sexual harassment by stranger has higher mental effect as a chronic stress. ...
... Some researchers (Jones et. al, 2008, Bagley et al, 1997and MSI, 2008Rowe, 1996) have illustrated the negative consequences of sexual harassment to students such as children's health and safety, enrolment and educational achievement and dignity, self-esteem and social relationships. Sexual harassment in schools is recognized as a public-health problem which is detrimental to students' psychosomatic health (Berman et al., 2000;Dahinten, 1999,). ...
... Organizations must develop and communicate serious SH-related policies that employees perceive as effective in order to positively influence a shift in responses to SH. Rowe (1996) provides an insightful discussion of SH-related policies, which suggests that developing and communicating a substantive policy is the first step an organization should take to address SH. Therefore, organizations must implement actions to ensure that every employee is aware of and understands the SH policy and procedures. ...
... Such procedures could be very effective in supporting a shift in SH responses, because they increase the probability that most individuals will find acceptable options which will assist them in moving beyond avoidance/denial. Rowe (1996) suggests that organizational SH procedures include multiple dispute-resolution options for all major stakeholders, including complainants, respondents, bystanders, and supervisors. Some will prefer win-lose, rights-based procedures (such as grievances and adjudication), and others will feel most comfortable with interest-based procedures (such as informal third-party intervention). ...
... Some will prefer win-lose, rights-based procedures (such as grievances and adjudication), and others will feel most comfortable with interest-based procedures (such as informal third-party intervention). Additionally, Rowe (1996) suggests that offering both centralized and decentralized reporting systems can increase the number of individuals who use them. For example, a target who feels powerless when harassed by a supervisor might need to seek support from a central office, but a target with a manager who does not tolerate SH might want to seek informal support from this supervisor to cope with SH from a co-worker. ...
... Some add that policies should explain disciplinary actions that harassers might face; prohibit retaliation against complainants; and provide safeguards for the confidentiality of all parties. Several scholars emphasize that supervisors and top management must be committed to and well-trained on these policies for them to be effective (Gutek, 1997;Gruber, 1998;Reese and Lindenberg,1997;Riger, 1991 ;Rowe, 1996;Stokes et al., 2000). ...
... Formal grievance mechanisms have distinct advantages, allowing for otficial sanctions to be imposed, repeat offenders to be tracked, and managers to be held accountable (Rowe, 1996). However, these procedures are often adversarial, with the complainant's perspective potentially competing against that of the accused, his union representatives, and management. ...
... Such procedures frequently fail to end the harassment, sometimes worsen the situation, and rarely protect the complainant's privacy (e.g., Cortina and Magle¡ 2003;Gutek, 1997;Rieer, 1991). Because of these drawbacks, some experts recommend that informal dispute resolution also be available to sexually harassed employees (Gutek, 1997; Rigea l99l; Rowe, 1996). ...
For 30 years, sexual harassment has been recognized as a serious organizational problem and a violation of US law. The Navy Tailhook scandal and Clarence Thomas hearings in l99l launched sexual harassment to the forefront of public attention. This was followed by a virtual explosion ofresearch on the topic, leading to the estimate that one out of every two women is harassed at some point in her working life. We review this scholarship in the current chapter, concentrating on the last decade ol work. Our principal locus is sexual harassment in the workplace. Although sexual harassment also occurs elsewhere, other domains are beyond the scope of this chapter. This chapter also primarily covers research since the mid-1990s (except for brief historical overviews). Sexual harassment scholarship began in the late I 970s, and several large-scale surveys in the 1980s (Gutek, 1985;USMSPB, 1981, 1988; Martindale, 1990) influenced work that followed. Since then, however, the workforce has become more educated about sexual harassment, organizational methods of combating sexual harassment have evolved, and sexual-harassment research methodolo-gies have become increasingly advanced. We therefore concentrate on the most recent, methodologically sophisticated work. Finally, resea¡ch on this topic largely addresses men's harassment of women, so this will be the main focus of our review. We organize this chapter around the following questions: What is sexual harassment? Why does it happen? Who harasses whom? What are its effects? Finally, how do and how should individuals and organizations respond to sexual harassment? Each of these sections provides a brief historical recap of early work on the topic, followed by a detailed review of recent scholarship. Throughout, we address ¡elevant issues in US law but maintain a focus on theory and finclings tiom social science (particularly psychology). The chapter will close with a discussion of the future of sexual harassment scholarship.
... exual harassment is not only a physical crime against girls and women but has been found responsible for their poor physical and emotional health. Lee et al. (1996) have reported that sexual harassment can have negative academic, psychological, and behavioural impacts on the victim. Several studies (Bagley et al. 1997, Jones et al. 2008, & MSI 2008. Rowe 1996 also illustrated the consequences of sexual harassment on students such as children's health and safety, enrolment, and educational achievement and dignity, and social relationships in the victim of sexual harassment. According to AAUW (2001), nearly half of all the students who experienced sexual harassment felt very or somewhat upset ...
... Sexual harassment was also found as a factor of negative mental health in the form of depression, anxiety, and stress in nurses of public hospitals too (Mushtaq, Sultana and Imtiaz 2015). Some researchers (Bagley et al. 1997, Jones et al. 2008, MSI 2008, Rowe 1996 also illustrated the negative consequences of sexual harassment to students such as children's health and safety, enrolment, and learning achievement dignity, and self-esteem. Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) mentioned that the outcomes of chronic stress which is also one of the reported outcomes of harassment called chronic unexpected stress (CUS) which increased inflammation in several brain areas on the victim. ...
ABSTRACT
A cross-sectional study was conducted to find the prevalence of mental
health on adolescent girl students and the effect of sexual harassment on their
mental health: depression, anxiety, and stress. A concurrent mixed method was
used and the study was conducted at both community and institutional schools
of Lalitpur and Rupendehi districts. A semi-structured questionnaire was used
for quantitative data collection along with depression, anxiety and stress score
test (DASS -42 points) to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. Focus group
discussion (FGD), in-depth interviews (IDI), and key informant information (KII)
were used for qualitative data collection. Poor and ill mental health were found
among the respondents and the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were
45%, 52%, and 35% respectively among the sexually harassed girls. As sexual
harassment was found as one of the major factors that is responsible for the poor
mental health status of girl students, it is necessary for every school to adopt anti�sexual harassment policies and to take action against it to create a healthy learning
environment.
Keywords: depression - anxiety - stress - mild - moderate - sever
... exual harassment is not only a physical crime against girls and women but has been found responsible for their poor physical and emotional health. Lee et al. (1996) have reported that sexual harassment can have negative academic, psychological, and behavioural impacts on the victim. Several studies (Bagley et al. 1997, Jones et al. 2008, & MSI 2008. Rowe 1996 also illustrated the consequences of sexual harassment on students such as children's health and safety, enrolment, and educational achievement and dignity, and social relationships in the victim of sexual harassment. According to AAUW (2001), nearly half of all the students who experienced sexual harassment felt very or somewhat upset ...
... Sexual harassment was also found as a factor of negative mental health in the form of depression, anxiety, and stress in nurses of public hospitals too (Mushtaq, Sultana and Imtiaz 2015). Some researchers (Bagley et al. 1997, Jones et al. 2008, MSI 2008, Rowe 1996 also illustrated the negative consequences of sexual harassment to students such as children's health and safety, enrolment, and learning achievement dignity, and self-esteem. Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) mentioned that the outcomes of chronic stress which is also one of the reported outcomes of harassment called chronic unexpected stress (CUS) which increased inflammation in several brain areas on the victim. ...
A cross-sectional study was conducted to find the prevalence of mental health on adolescent girl students and the effect of sexual harassment on their mental health: depression, anxiety, and stress. A concurrent mixed method was used and the study was conducted at both community and institutional schools of Lalitpur and Rupendehi districts. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for quantitative data collection along with depression, anxiety and stress score test (DASS -42 points) to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. Focus group discussion (FGD), in-depth interviews (IDI), and key informant information (KII) were used for qualitative data collection. Poor and ill mental health were found among the respondents and the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were45%, 52%, and 35% respectively among the sexually harassed girls. As sexual harassment was found as one of the major factors that is responsible for the poor mental health status of girl students, it is necessary for every school to adopt antisexualharassmentpoliciesandtotakeactionagainstittocreateahealthylearningenvironment.
... It was thus noted by a subject in the study that, "There will never be direct evidence apart from what we can capture on camera and even that in and of itself is very sticky". Rowe (1996) rightly postulates that no policy will be the same and incorporate the same elements because it is hard to design a policy in which all users think it is effective and adequate as organizations differ. They have different compositions, aims and functions. ...
... Thus each policy solution will be dependent on that person's perception and so some persons will find the policy satisfactory while others will not. Rowe (1996) is clearly validated in her theory by the findings of the research. Though participants all agreed that sexual harassment was a problem that needs to be combated, there was no final consensus on the formulation of a policy and the elements that should be included for it to be effective and fulfill its purpose because of the different typology and severity of sexual harassment (Toropainen-Kauppinen et al., 1996). ...
Humans are sexual as they are physical beings. Simply put, sexual relations are embedded in their composition and so legislations are needed to protect vulnerable groups such as children, poor, women, orphans, elderly, mentally and physically disabled people and adolescents from sexual exploitations. The current study will explore why Jamaica needs a national sexual harassment policy, the challenges without a policy and the difficulties in formulating a policy in such a highly sexed culture. The methodology that was utilized for the study was ethnography. This study was conducted in Metropolis of Jamaica (ie. Kingston and St. Andrew), and purposive sampling was used to select respondents, with focus groups and elite interviews being among the methods of data collection. There was consensus in the focus group that policies such as those for sexual harassment are not meant to act as deterrents per say but as back up plans, a tool to reach for just in case the harassment occurs; "the rules are not enforced they are just there if something happens I don't think they can be enforced". It was also postulated that in Jamaican culture the men approach women, however if the woman makes it clear that she is not interested the most the man will do is curse then move on to another female of interest. It was agreed upon by all participants in the study that power plays a role in sexual harassment and its definition. There was notably more reference to sexual harassment between a manager and a subordinate than between co-workers. A subject stated that: "Many time the harasser feels entitled to harass because they know that they have the power if you complain you might lose the work." It was also felt that a sexual harassment policy should have various degrees of punishment dependent on the number of infractions the accused has been found guilty of. Thus, a male participant in the focus session declared, "I don't feel the policy should just fire you like that for sexual harassment. For me sexual harassment is a persistent thing so if you do it once you get reprimanded. Do it again you get suspended that kind of way." Sexual harassment policy formulation cannot be left to the power men, men bosses and men supervisors to construct because they (men) have a culturalization about sex and sexuality which may contravene to an effective policy framework or to businesses without a national policy framework. Such a situation will foster sexual violence, discrimination, exploitation and harassment against women, children and economically marginalized groups.
... It was thus noted by a subject in the study that: "There will never be direct evidence apart from what we can capture on camera and even that in and of itself is very sticky". Rowe (1996) rightly postulates that no policy will be the same and incorporate the same elements because it is hard to design a policy in which all users think it is effective and adequate as organizations differ. They have different compositions, aims and functions. ...
... Thus each policy solution will be dependent on that person's perception and so some persons will find the policy satisfactory while others will not. Rowe (1996) is clearly validated in her theory by the findings of the research. Though participants all agreed that sexual harassment was a problem that needs to be combated, there was no final consensus on the formulation of a policy and the elements that should be included for it to be effective and fulfill its purpose. ...
Within the Caribbean only countries such as Belize, Bahamas and Guyana have legitimized legislation against sexual harassment. Countries such as Jamaica, Barbados and St. Kitts and Nevis have draft bills before parliament. In the Jamaican context, the country in September 1981 signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which came into effect in 1984 which deals with the issue of sexual harassment under Articles 2 (Policy Measures and Legislation) and Article 11 (Employment). The current study is an assessment of sexual harassment, components of sexual harassment and sexual harassment policies in Jamaica, and whether such policy would be effective within the context of the culture. The methodology that was utilized for the study was ethnography. Ethnography focuses on describing the cultural traits of a group and may also be used to explore and describe the relationship among variables. This qualitative methodology was thought to be most suited for the nature of research as it describes and situates the phenomenon of sexual harassment in a cultural context, both the broad Jamaican culture and the specific organizational culture. Six themes emerged from the current study. These are culture and perception of harassment; culture and element of harassment; culture and effectiveness of policy; power and power relations and gendered response to harassment. It was postulated and agreed upon that there is no definite definition for sexual harassment, it is fluid and based solely on one's perception. One respondent said, "We've been unable to define sexual harassment it doesn't have to be intentional or not. Sexual harassment is pretty much from the person's perspective". It was brought out during the study that culture would clearly define what is constituted as sexual harassment. A respondent in an elite interview stated that in a Jamaican context sexual harassment is very difficult to be identified because "these societal attitudes to woman and the woman's bodies is such that the woman's body is not really her own she doesn't have a right to decide what is to be done with it, to it and sexual harassment is an extension of that" There was consensus in the focus group that policies such as those for sexual harassment are not meant to act as deterrents per say but as back up plans, a tool to reach for just in case the harassment occurs; "the rules are not enforced they are just there if something happens I don't think they can be enforced". As it relates to the implementation of a policy to battle sexual harassment, there were mixed notions. Most respondents were of the view that having a sexual harassment policy may be somewhat effective. However, one respondent citing the experience he had working with Company Sefah (fictitious name) that had a 'no-hugging' rule voiced his lack of confidence in the implementation and effectiveness of any such policy. For Jamaica to move forward and achieve economic growth, it requires a reasonably content and stable workforce coupled with steady output from countless organizations. Issues such as sexual harassment should be deemed high priority and be combated through the use of effective policy, because it has a great ability to disrupt and detract from the stability of the workforce and the level of consistency of the output of organizations.
... In spite of organizational efforts, rates of harassment remain high, indicating that present legal and organizational structures may be inadequate in controlling harassing behaviors (Hulin, Fitzgerald, & Dragow, 1996;Rowe, 1996). The military is no exception to this problem (Firestone & Harris, 1994, 1999Harris & Firestone, 1996, 1997, 2010Miller, 1997). ...
... Additional complicating factors exist because specific organizational characteristics such as type of technology, worker proximity, sex ratios, availability of grievance procedures, etc., may moderate the extent of harassment, the types of responses, and perceptions about adequacy of responses to such behaviors (Gruber & Bjorn, 1986;Hulin, Fitzgerald, & Drasgow, 1996;Gutek & Morasch, 1982;Kanter, 1968;Rowe, 1996;Rossen & Martin, 1997). All of these factors may influence reenlistment intentions. ...
Intentions to reenlist in the U.S. military are analyzed in relation to reported experiences of unwanted, uninvited individualized and more general environmental sexual behaviors and whether or not any such incidents are labeled as sexual harassment. Such behaviors should reduce the likelihood of reenlistment and harassing behaviors are expected to have a greater impact on the intentions of women compared to men. Data, from the "Armed Forces 2002 Sexual Harassment Survey," indicated harassment has a negative impact on reenlistment intentions and affects men and women differently. Environmental harassment is more related to women’s reenlistment intentions, while individualized harassment is stronger for men. Accusations of individualized forms of sexual harassment may create a negative image of the organization and be more likely to be concealed. The anonymity of this survey may allow men to state that they experienced sexual harassment. Because of the “Don’t ask…” policy, sexual orientation was not measured.
... Lately, the phenomenon of sexual harassment has been receiving a lot of public attention; from an issue of concern to feminism, it has become an issue of concern to different groups and institutions (Rowe, 1996). This is also partly because of increasing societal sensitivity towards the welfare of the vulnerable and weak. ...
Sexual violence is a common phenomenon and occurs worldwide with pernicious consequences particularly when it occurs to the young. Based on this, this study which takes the case of three tertiary institutions in Maiduguri, aims at determining the prevailing rate of rape, sexual harassment, and associated health implication in Nigeria. Cross sectional descriptive research design is adopted for the study. The population comprises all the female students in all the tertiary institutions in Maiduguri, Borno State. Purposive sampling technique is used to select three tertiary institutions in Maiduguri. Simple randon sampling is used to select three hundred female students from the three institutions. The mean age of the respondents is 21.8 years. Most of the respondents are single. Prevailing rate of rape is found to be relatively high, among young women who reported to have been raped. It is further gathered that majority of the students who have experienced sexual harassment never reported the culprits who are mostly lecturers. Also, report of rape is not found to correlate positively with the GHQ score of the respondents. In conclusion, the prevalence of rape and sexual harassment in Maiduguri is significantly high and is mainly perpetrated by known people to the victims. In view of these, policy should be formulated to address the issues of sexual harassment in schools and counselling services focusing on sexual harassment should be integrated into school health services.
... Unwanted sexual attention has historically been commonplace in many social settings and public places, namely in schools and the workplace. Sexual intimidation, sexual coercion, and sexual exploitation are often precursors to more aggressive unwanted sexual advances (Rowe 1996). Because it is a new concept, interpretations of the occurrence and severity of the phenomenon still vary widely. ...
Various social and cultural factors contribute to the prevalence
of early marriage among Egyptian girls in some parts
of Egypt. Married adolescent girls (MAGs) are at increased
risk of adverse sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes,
such as sexual and gender based violence, abortion,
sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and maternal and
infant mortality. These risks are exacerbated by the fact
that adolescent girls are shielded from information about
reproduction and sexuality before marriage. The objective
of this study is to understand the sexual and reproductive
behaviors and experiences of MAGs in Egypt by investigating
three key areas: (1) marriage experience; (2) husband–wife
communication; and (3) utilization of reproductive health
services among MAGs.
The research study was carried out in three villages in Assiut
Governorate, in Upper Egypt, using qualitative research
methods. Sources of data included 20 in-depth interviews
(IDIs) with MAGs between the ages of 16 and 19 who have
been married for 1–3 years, and 4 focus group discussions
(FGDs) with mothers/mothers-in-law. Recruitment of participants
was carried out with the help of nurses and raeda
rifiya (family planning outreach workers) affiliated with the
Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP). Informed consent
was obtained from all participants. For MAGs who were
under age 18, informed consent of a guardian (husband,
mother, mother-in-law) was obtained as well.
Study results showed that desire for “protecting” the
girl’s reputation and virginity was the most important trigger
for early marriage. Most of the participants had traumatic
experiences at the wedding night when defloration was often
rushed to demonstrate the girl’s virginity. Problems at the
wedding night were exacerbated by the fact that none of
those girls received any information from their families on
what to expect at the wedding night or after marriage. Several
of the girls had unsatisfying sexual relations with their
husbands mainly as a result of poor husband–wife communication,
physical violence, the age gap, lack of knowledge,
or painful intercourse. Delaying of first pregnancy was not
acceptable to MAGs or mothers/mothers–in–law as the girl
is required to demonstrate her fertility. Family planning use
among MAGs was uncommon although not unacceptable to
mothers/mothers-in-law if used for birth spacing.
Counseling services for prospective and newlywed
couples are essential to address knowledge gaps and to
ameliorate sexual and reproductive health problems among
young couples.
... Unwanted sexual attention has historically been commonplace in many social settings and public places, namely in schools and the workplace. Sexual intimidation, sexual coercion, and sexual exploitation are often precursors to more aggressive unwanted sexual advances (Rowe 1996). Because it is a new concept, interpretations of the occurrence and severity of the phenomenon still vary widely. ...
... Formal responses to sexual harassment tend to include institutional procedures. In this case, formal channels within the organisation may be utilised, however a target of sexual harassment may have doubts whether their complaint will be taken seriously and if the organisational polices and procedures will be able to support them (Firestone and Harris, 2003;Hulin et al., 1996;Rowe, 1996). ...
Purpose
– The purpose of this literature review is to provide an intervention model, which can be used by organisations to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment has been somewhat ignored over recent years, with much of the academic literature focusing on harassment specifically on workplace bullying, or psychological harassment of a generic nature. For the purpose of this review, the authors have specifically reviewed individual and organisational antecedents, particularly focusing on the organisation's culture and training programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
– A review of the sexual harassment literature has been conducted to examine primary, secondary and tertiary interventions to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.
Findings
– There are a variety of antecedents of sexual harassment which can be examined; these cover three main categories: groups and individuals; organisational and situational; and societal. Sexual harassment should be seen as an issue which needs to be addressed by the organisation, rather than simply increasing and improving an individual's skills in order to deal with harassment (Fitzgerald and Shullman).
Originality/value
– This paper provides an up‐to‐date review of the sexual harassment literature and from this provides a model, which organisations can utilise when attempting to tackle the problem of sexual harassment.
... Indeed, a review by Grundmann, O'Donohue, and Peterson (1997) failed to turn up any published studies on the evaluation of sexual harassment training programs. This is particularly noteworthy DA/DT/DP TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS 63 because sexual harassment researchers have long recognized the importance of training for reducing and eliminating harassment in the workplace (e.g., Bell, Campbell Quick, & Cycyota, 2002; Biaggio, Watts, & Brownell, 1990; Gutek, 1997; Livingston, 1982; Popovich, 1988; Pryor & Whalen, 1997; Robertson, Dyer, & Campbell, 1988, Rowe, 1997 Webb, 1991). A cursory review of the most recent psychological literature suggests that not much progress has been made with respect to training evaluations for either ethnic-racial harassment or sexual orientation–based harassment. ...
The impact of training related to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue policy on training outcomes of military personnel was examined with data from the Department of Defense Inspector General's Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue Policy Survey of military personnel (N = 71,570). We hypothesized that training related to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue policy would impact participant's reactions, learning and cognitive outcomes, and behavioral and organizational outcomes. Results indicate that individuals who reported having received training on the homosexual conduct policy perceived the policy to be more effective at preventing/reducing harassment; were more likely to feel free to report harassment complaints; reported greater levels of understating and were more knowledgeable of the policy; reported higher levels of intolerance of harassment; and reported that more actions had been take at their installation/ship to reduce and prevent harassment than individuals who had not received any training. Although the pattern of results was statistically significant, the magnitude of these effects were small (η 2 = .001–.109). These findings highlight the continuing need to expand current efforts to reduce and curtail harassment based on perceived sexual orientation.
... Experts (e.g., Rowe, 1996) suggest that a multifaceted approach to eliminating academic sexual harassment is necessary for effective programs. Although establishing and disseminating a zero tolerance of university sexual harassment policy is a necessary first step, followed by specific procedures if an incident occurs, administrators agree that these policies generally have not eliminated or greatly reduced academic sexual harassment (West, Reynolds, & Jackson, 1994). ...
Male and female undergraduates from a multicultural university (MU) and an historically Black University (HBU) read a scenario in which a student was sexually harassed either by a professor or a workplace supervisor. The student victim's coping response was also varied. Participants rated the victim's behavior as most effective and appropriate when she confronted the harasser directly or reported the harasser's behavior. HBU students judged the harasser as not guilty significantly more often than MU students, but believed that the harasser was less trustworthy than multicultural students did. Women responded significantly more negatively to the blatant sexual harassment scenario than men did. Implications for prevention and interventions are discussed.
... While organizational support for equal opportunity is crucial for creating a welcoming and equal environment, employees must also feel confident that they can address concerns with management if an incident of inequality (such as sexual harassment) occurs. Evidence suggests that formal grievance procedures may be effective in reducing the incidence of sexual harassment (Rowe, 1996); however, limited research has examined the potential mitigating effects of employee confidence in grievance procedures. Indeed, some researchers suggest that formal procedures may have disadvantages because they can be adversarial, and can also be mismanaged (Cortina and Berdahl, 2008). ...
This study drew on three theoretical perspectives – attribution theory, power, and role identity theory – to compare the job-related
outcomes of sexual harassment from organizational insiders (i.e., supervisors and co-workers) and organizational outsiders
(i.e., offend- ers and members of the public) in a sample (n=482) of UK police officers and police support staff. Results showed that sexual harassment from insiders was related to
higher intentions to quit, over-performance demands, and lower job satisfaction, whereas sexual harassment from outsiders
was not significantly related to any of the outcome variables investigated. We also examined two moderator variables: equal
opportunity support and confidence in grievance procedures. Consistent with our hypotheses, equal oppor- tunity support mitigated
the effects of sexual harassment from supervisors on intent to quit and over-performance demands. Confidence in grievance
procedures moderated the relationship between sexual harassment from supervisors and all outcome variables. Implications for
theory and practice are discussed.
Key wordsattribution theory-equal opportunity-power-role identity-sexual harassment
... Women from collectivist and patriarchal cultures are even less likely to engage in this most assertive, vocal, and public means of coping with harassment. If organizations seek to employ global and diverse workforces, and intervene in cases of harassment prior to escalation, we recommend that they explore novel management strategies that are accessible across cultural groups (e.g., informal third-party inter- vention; Rowe, 1996). More generally, managers who supervise employees from different backgrounds may benefit from culturally sensitive training related to sexual harassment. ...
This study explicates the complexity of sexual harassment coping behavior among 4 diverse samples of working women: (a) working-class Hispanic Americans, (b) working-class Anglo Americans, (c) professional Turks, and (d) professional Anglo Americans. K-means cluster analysis revealed 3 common harassment coping profiles: (a) detached, (b) avoidant negotiating, and (c) support seeking. The authors then tested an integrated framework of coping profile determinants, involving social power, stressor severity, social support, and culture. Analysis of variance, chi-square, and discriminant function results identified significant determinants at each of the 4 levels of this ecological model. These findings underscore the importance of focusing on whole patterns of experience--and considering influences at the level of the individual employee and multiple levels of the surrounding context--when studying how women cope with workplace sexual harassment.
The purposes of this essay are (a) to review existing academic research and integrate it with legal and organizational approaches to sexual harassment in the workplace and (b) to establish a framework from which to develop theoretically coherent and empirically testable techniques for reducing workplace sexual harassment. The essay begins with an overview of the development of sexual harassment as a workplace problem, followed by a summary and critique of legal, organizational, and academic conceptualizations of sexual harassment. Six areas of empirical research are reviewed: (a) studies of sexual harassment prevalence, correlates, and outcomes; (b) typologies of sexually harassing behaviors; (c) factors that contribute to perceptions regarding sexual harassment; (d) assessments of the proclivity to sexually harass; (e) responses to sexual harassment; and (f) strategies to combat sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is reconceptualized as a multidimensional phenomenon in which formal power and perceived perpetrator intent moderate behavioral manifestations of sexual harassment and its perceived severity. This framework offers general guidelines from which specific strategies can be generated and against which existing tactics can be evaluated.
Although a significant number of researchers have investigated the diversity and commonality of targets' response strategies to sexual harassment (SH), research systematically exploring those responses has been limited. In this article we present a typology of target responses to SH; identify, through a careful analysis of the existing literature, the potential contextual and individual determinants of responses to SH; present a theoretical framework (supported by the whistle-blowing and stress/coping literatures) of the relationships among those determinants and how they collectively influence responses to SH; and identify a comprehensive set of propositions based on this conceptual framework. We also discuss implications for future research and the impact on organizational policies and procedures.
Orientation: Sexual harassment policies are generally in place in higher education institutions without any indication of its effectiveness as determined by the awareness of the policy.
Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness levels of academic staff members at higher education institutions in South Africa of sexual harassment policies and procedures in their institutions.
Motivation for the study: A number of high profile court cases emphasised the need for effective policies to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment complaints.
Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey design was conducted amongst 161 academic staff members, representing 10 higher education institutions in South Africa. The measuring instrument that was used is the Sexual Harassment Questionnaire (SHQ) that was developed specifically for this study.
Main findings: The results showed that despite indications that sexual harassment policies do exist and that they are regarded as effective tools in addressing sexual harassment, the implementation of such policies is not effective and few academic staff members received training and/or guidance on the utilisation of the policy. Significant correlation coefficients were found between the elements of an effective policy and between population group and some of the elements.
Practical/managerial implications: Employers across the board should regularly conduct an audit to determine the level of awareness of sexual harassment policies and procedures and plan interventions.
Contribution: No other study in South Africa attempted to measure the awareness levels of academics and its impact on the management of sexual harassment.
This research attempts to link the organizational context to reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Results support the hypothesis that attitudes about the effectiveness of cultural competency was particularly important in helping explain organizational trust and job satisfaction. Both of these concepts are key to creating a context in which all members believe they are a valued part of the organization. We conclude that creating organizations which support and value all members will produce work situations which are effective mechanisms for helping individuals obtain the strategic objectives of the organization as well as meet their personal goals, while operating in the current global milieu. Cultural competency may prove one tool in producing a stronger and more effective military for the future.
University professors are important sources of social support for students who have been sexually harassed. However, research has not investigated how professors communicate with students who seek help in coping with this distressful problem. This study examines the types of social support provided by 96 professors in response to a student’s narrative of unwanted sexual attention, and factors that influence their support. The results show that professors provided the student with more problem solving than emotional support. Consistent with the social support model that was a foundation for the study, the types of support were associated with the sex of the professors and student, and the professors’ tolerance for sexual harassment.
This analysis compares patterns of response to the harassment experiences that had the greatest effect on the respondents to the ‘1988 Department of Defense (DoD) Survey of Sex Roles in the Active-Duty Military’ and Form A of the ‘1995 Armed Forces Sexual Harassment Survey’. We analyse the respondents’ perceptions about effectiveness of their responses, and respondents’ opinions about the efforts of senior military leadership, and their own immediate supervisors’ efforts to ‘make honest and reasonable efforts to stop sexual harassment in the active-duty military’ (DoD, 1988; Bastian et al., 1996). Results indicate that while the military has been somewhat successful in attempts to lower actual incidence of sexual harassment, the percentage of those experiencing such uninvited and unwanted behaviours remains high. Similar patterns of responses in both years, with most employing personal solutions and few filing complaints with officials, may reflect the fact that official DoD policy focuses on individual behaviour and does not address the masculine environmental context that promotes such behaviours (see also Harrell and Miller, 1997). Findings also suggest that the ‘no tolerance’ policies adopted by the military may concentrate on the military image but ignore the wishes of the complainants who fear reprisals. If the rights and wishes of all parties involved are not taken into account, policies are unlikely to be successful (see, for example, Rowe, 1996).
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