Abstract
Using an outcome expectancy framework, this research sought to understand sex differences in the underlying beliefs that influence harassment perception. One hundred and ninety-six participants (52% women) read a series of vignettes depicting common examples of digital male-on-female sexual harassment. They were asked to what extent they thought each scenario constituted sexual harassment, and how likely the perpetrator would experience positive and negative outcomes. Consistent with predictions, women were more likely to consider the behaviours as harassment than men were. Both sexes harassment perceptions had significant relationships with their outcome expectancies, but we also found evidence of a sex specific moderation; the link between men's negative outcome expectancies was moderated by their positive ones. The results suggest that perceptions of harassment may have sexually asymmetrical underpinnings. Measuring the interplay between positive and negative outcome expectancies in relation to sexual harassment perception is a novel approach, that may have implications for the development of anti-sexual harassment interventions. Implications for theory and future research directions are discussed.
Highlights
Sexual harassment occurs in every known culture [1, 2]
The results revealed that, for men, none of the individual differences measured uniquely correlated with positive outcome expectancies
positive outcome expectancies (POE) and negative outcome expectancies (NOE) scores correlated at similar levels with H-scores, though the strength of these correlations was nearly double for men, a sex difference that was significant for NOE and approached significance for POE
Summary
Despite high prevalence and great public interest in reducing it, reviews of sexual harassment prevention strategies reveal a shortage of rigorous study [3,4,5]. Current interventions, such as workplace and online training, are frequently unempirical in development and assessment, with little focus on the perpetrator as an individual entity with personal goals [6, 7]. While there has been recent success understanding how and when sexual harassment is reported, interventions which reduce it are often ineffective or inconsistent [3, 4, 8]. A targeted approach, developed with an appreciation of the unique underpinnings of sexual harassment within a particular sub-group, may lead to more effective reduction
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