Sex-based Harassment Research Articles

Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Perpetration and Victimization Among Adolescents: A Network Analysis

IntroductionThe present study sought to analyze the relationships between different forms of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) perpetration and victimization, including gender- and sexuality-based harassment, digital sexual harassment, and image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), which includes both sextortion and non-consensual pornography.MethodsThe sample was composed of 1682 adolescents (865 girls; Mage = 13.90, SDage = 1.26) who completed self-report measures from November 2019 to March 2020. We conducted network analyses to analyze the relationships among different forms of TFSV perpetration and victimization.ResultsOverall, girls had higher victimization scores, whereas boys had higher scores in the perpetration of several forms of TFSV. Gender- and sexuality-based victimization formed a cluster with digital sexual harassment victimization, while sextortion and nonconsensual pornography victimization formed a differentiated cluster. Forms of IBSA victimization and digital sexual harassment victimization were strongly associated with their perpetration counterparts for boys, but this was not the case for girls.ConclusionsThe results revealed that the different forms of victimization and perpetration appear to be related and suggest that TFSV is a gendered form of abuse.Policy ImplicationsFindings from the present study suggest that preventive programs in schools and communities should be holistic and address various forms of TFSV.

Comparing Substance Use and School-Based Stressors Among Black and Latinx Transgender Youth and Peers With Shared Minoritized Identities

PurposeThe aim of this study is to compare substance use and school-based stressors among Black and Latinx transgender youth (trans BLY), White transgender youth (trans WY), and Black and Latinx cisgender youth (cis BLY) and identify associations between substance use and stressors among trans BLY. MethodsWe analyzed 2015–2017 Biennial California Healthy Kids Survey data with a weighted sample of the state’s secondary school population. The analytic sample included 9th and 11th grade trans BLY, trans WY, and cis BLY. Past 30-day and lifetime substance use (cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vaping, marijuana, and alcohol) and school-based stressors (victimization, race-, gender-, and sexuality-based harassment) were compared between cohorts via logistic regression. For trans BLY, associations between substance use and stressors were assessed via logistic regression. ResultsThe analytic sample (n = 19,780) included 252 trans BLY, 104 trans WY, and 19,424 cis BLY. Among trans BLY, estimated prevalence of 30-day (and lifetime) use of cigarettes, e-cigarette/vaping, marijuana, and alcohol were 13% (23%), 19% (39%), 27% (42%), and 29% (48%), respectively. Trans BLY had similar odds of 30-day and lifetime use of all substances compared to trans WY but higher odds of use compared to cis BLY. For trans BLY, race- and gender-based harassment and higher victimization levels were associated with higher odds of 30-day and lifetime use of all substances. Sexuality-based harassment was associated with higher odds of 30-day and lifetime marijuana and alcohol use. DiscussionTrans BLY have high prevalence of substance use, comparable with trans WY but higher than cis BLY. Substance use among trans BLY is associated with school-based stressors.

The sex-based harassment crime of women and the culture of silence in the Iraqi-Kurdistan Region

In Iraqi-Kurdistan Region, sexual harassment against women is a significant crime that has received virtually slight attention from law-makers, researchers and the government. This qualitative-descriptive study seeks to understand women’s approval of sexual harassment and the cultural and legal factors behind victims’ silence. Despite recognizing the fact that the law has prohibited some forms of indecent acts, most women remain silent. The culture of silence has a terrible impact upon sexual- harassment crime escalation. Workplaces are chosen to get an accurate result to prove the existence of the crime and also to reveal the reasons for remaining silent. Three hundred individuals from work sectors in four main cities in Kurdistan participated. Overall, a sufficient ratio of participants approved their victimization inside their workplaces by perpetrators in the higher position. Most participants were women and there was a wide range of so-called justifiable circumstances of cultural obstacles facing victims to remain silent while they were experiencing or witnessing any type of sexual harassment. Deficiency in penal law and Labor law, unavailability of strict law and legal definition regarding sexual harassment enhanced the crime ratio to accelerate. The study’s findings will be a decent source to help women to break their silence and also to increase women's awareness concerning sexual- harassment legal rights. 

'You will never be as good as we are': a qualitative study of women paramedics' experiences of sex-based harassment in an Australian ambulance service.

Sex-based harassment remains a pernicious and pervasive problem in organisations, as evidenced by the recent #MeToo movement. Little is known about how this issue affects women in the paramedic profession. This study explores the sex-based harassment experiences of women working in a large Australian ambulance service, focusing on harassment from co-workers and managers. Long-form, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with women paramedics (n = 30) as part of a larger qualitative study of the careers and work experiences of women paramedics. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and thematic data analysis was employed to develop rich descriptions of paramedics' experiences. Of the 30 participants, 25 had experienced sex-based harassment from male colleagues. Most commonly this took the form of gender harassment - that is, comments and jokes designed to belittle and demean women on the basis of their gender. Several participants experienced sexualised forms of harassment, including unwelcome sexual attention and propositions. Participants expressed reluctance to report the behaviour through organisational channels because of the perceived futility of doing so and the potential for reprisals and career repercussions. The preferred responses to harassment were informal, and included avoidance, humour, direct appeals and work withdrawal. Sex-based harassment has a range of damaging consequences for victims and the organisations in which they work. This study is the first to explore how Australian women paramedics experience sex-based harassment in their work. The study has implications for policy and practice to improve gender equality within ambulance services and highlights the need for further research into the extent and nature of the problem across the paramedic profession.

Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Victimization during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Behaviors and Attitudes

ABSTRACT Despite the growing attention to Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence (TFSV) experienced by adults, this is still an underexplored topic. This study involved a sample of 289 adults (aged 18 to 56), focusing on reported indicators of TFSV in a year dominated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Reports of TFSV victimization were analyzed using an existing 21-item scale that encompassed four TFSV dimensions: i) digital sexual harassment; ii) image-based sexual abuse (IBSA); iii) sexual aggression and/or coercion; and iv) gender and/or sexuality-based harassment. While examining the experience of one or more TFSV behaviors by independent socio-demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, or sexuality), the results showed that women were significantly more likely than men to report several forms of sexual harassment victimization. LGB+-identifying adults were significantly more likely than heterosexual-identifying respondents to report 11 behaviors from the used TFSV victimization scale. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many types of violence against women and the LGBT+ community have been intensified, and this study indicates TFSV as no exception to that. The results show gendered patterns in online sexual victimization, as well as in the nature of TFSV. These findings indicate the importance of considering additional institutional measures to prevent this phenomenon.

The Sex-Based Harassment Inventory: A Gender Status Threat Measure of Sex-Based Harassment Intentions

We introduce a new inventory measuring sex-based harassment intentions and threat perceptions grounded in gender status threat theories (Berdahl, 2007; Stephan et al., 2016). In Study 1 (N = 568 men), an initial Sex-Based Harassment Inventory (SBHI) was developed with 12 scenarios depicting gender status threats to which respondents rated the likelihood to engage in gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, supportive conduct, and their perceptions of threat. The final version of the SBHI contained six scenarios with four items each. Gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention intentions loaded on a single, reliable factor, labeled harassment intentions. Two other factors measured threat perceptions and supportive behavior intentions. harassment intentions correlated significantly with threat perceptions, likelihood to sexually harass (Pryor, 1987), hostile and benevolent sexism (Glick & Fiske, 1996), and masculine identification (Glick et al., 2015). In Study 2 (N = 391 men), a non-threat version of the SBHI was compared to the threat version. Threat perceptions mediated the effect of scenario version on harassment intentions, which was stronger at moderate to high levels of hostile sexism and social dominance orientation. Consistent with Berdahl’s theory, these studies present promising initial evidence for the validity of the final version of the SBHI and the links between gender status threat and sex-based harassment intentions to gender status threat.

Experiences and Impacts of Harassment and Discrimination Among Women in Cardiac Medicine and Surgery: A Single-Center Qualitative Study

BackgroundGender- and sex-based harassment and discrimination are consistently reported by about 50% of women physicians, and the prevalence may be even greater among women in cardiology. An exploration of these experiences and their impacts on women in healthcare is necessary to design interventions, create supports, and facilitate empathy, support, and allyship among leadership. MethodsTo understand and describe the experiences of harassment and discrimination among women working in cardiac sciences, to inform the design of interventions and supports, we performed one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with women in the Department of Cardiac Sciences in a single institute. Interviews were coded independently in parallel using thematic analysis and reconciled by trained qualitative researchers. Experiences were categorized as harassment using the Canadian Human Rights Act. Codes were grouped into themes by iterative discussion. ResultsThere were 15 participants, including trainees, physicians in a variety of cardiac subdisciplines, and nurse practitioners. All participants had experienced sex- or gender-based discrimination at work, though the impact and perception of these experiences varied. Whereas some participants felt that these experiences had little influence on their careers or personal lives, others changed practice specialties or locations due to harassment. Several participants had been sexually assaulted at work. Interviews revealed modifiable barriers to reporting harassment. ConclusionsThis qualitative dataset enriches the prevalence data on sex- and gender-based harassment among women working in cardiology by describing the impacts and perceptions of this harassment. Organizations should address commonly described barriers to reporting harassment, including addressing retaliation, and create systems-level supports for those affected by harassment.

Examining the Gendered Impacts of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: A Mixed Methods Approach.

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) is defined broadly as unwanted or unwelcome sexual behavior involving the use of technology, including online sexual harassment, online gender or sexuality-based harassment, online image-based abuse (colloquially known as "revenge porn"), and online sexual aggression/coercion (colloquially known as "sextortion"). The purpose of this study was to explore the victim impact of TFSV and to critically examine the positioning of TFSV as a gender-based harm; that is, a harm directed primarily towards women. This study employed a mixed methods approach, integrating quantitative online survey data (N = 333; Mage = 33.91years; 63% women) with qualitative interview data (N = 10; Agerange = 24-46; 50% women) to gain a more comprehensive understanding of TFSV. We found that victims of TFSV experienced anxiety, stress, depression, loss of control, mistrust, multiple victimizations, poor academic/occupation functioning, problematic alcohol consumption, embarrassment, and online behavior changes (e.g., limiting personal information online) due to TFSV victimization. Individuals who experienced online image-based abuse reported greater distress on items of depression, anxiety, and occupational/academic functioning than did victims of other types of TFSV. The current study provides partial support for the gender similarities hypothesis that TFSV is not exclusively a gender-based harm; our findings suggest that women and men's TFSV experiences are similar for most TFSV types. Overall, the present study demonstrates the negative impact TFSV has for both women and men and highlights the need for greater awareness and increased support for all victims of this form of sexual violence.

Letter to the Editor in Response to "'What a Pretty Assistant You Have': Addressing Sex-Based Harassment by Patient Offenders in Undergraduate Medical Training".

Letter to the Editor in Response to "'What a Pretty Assistant You Have': Addressing Sex-Based Harassment by Patient Offenders in Undergraduate Medical Training".

Addressing Harassment as Systemic Discrimination: Realising CEDAW’s Promise of Substantive Equality

Harassment is endemic in Australian workplaces, alongside limited community understanding of either its gravity or its pervasiveness. Sexual and sex-based harassment are frequently (mis)understood as simply inappropriate behaviour rather than as part of a wider structural discrimination against women, thereby undermining its seriousness. In this submission to Australian Senate Education and Employment Committees, we focus on the proposed amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act. We argue that they are not enough to recognise and address harassment as a form of systemic discrimination against women, nor to realise the broader promise of women’s rights and substantive equality as set out in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women [CEDAW]. We argue that the scope of SDA should not be limited by “practicability” considerations or restricted to only certain areas or public life. We also recommend that proposed amendments under the Bill should explicitly recognise that the creation of a ‘sexually hostile’ environment at work or in other areas of public life, through sexually explicit material and pornography for example, is a form of harassment, and part of wider structural discrimination against women. Systemic and structural social harms, such as harassment and other forms of discrimination against women, require systemic and structural changes. They should not be addressed via piecemeal legislative amendments limited to certain areas of public life, such as workplaces. Our submission emphasises the importance of a holistic approach in addressing harassment as a systemic problem, as part of wider structural discrimination against women.

Sex-Based Harassment in the United States’ K-12 Schools: Rates and Predictors of Allegations, Student Reporting, and Student Discipline

ABSTRACT Title IX prohibits sex-based harassment (SBH) in all federally funded educational activities, yet little is known about SBH in K-12 schools. We used the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) data (N = 96,440) to examine rates and school-, district-, and state-level predictors of SBH in K-12 schools. Results found the vast majority of schools had zero allegations of SBH. Girls were more likely to be reporters of, while boys were more likely to be disciplined for, SBH; Black students were disproportionately impacted by SBH. A series of negative binomial regression models showed that schools with higher student enrollment and rates of White students, greater numbers of supportive school personnel, Title IX policies, and state sex education laws were associated with increased allegations, reporting students, and disciplined students. State mandatory reporting for child abuse was associated with fewer reports; Title IX coordinators and security personnel were associated with more disciplined students. Our findings offer baseline information on SBH in K-12 schools and recommendations for future data collection, research, and policy priorities.

Four ways forward in studying sex-based harassment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify promising themes of the papers in the special issues of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion dedicated to advancing scholarship on sex-based harassment.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual overview of the research pertaining to these themes and an analysis of the special issues papers' contributions to these themes.FindingsFour themes that represent important but relatively neglected lines of inquiry into sex-based harassment are identified. These are (1) the psychology of harassment, (2) organizational culture and networks, (3) the invisible majority and (4) the importance of collective action.Originality/valueThe paper offers an expert perspective on the state of research related to sex-based harassment and four themes that are important to moving it forward.

Uganda\u2019s response to sexual harassment in the public health sector: from \u201cDying Silently\u201d to gender-transformational HRH policy

IntroductionSexual harassment is a ubiquitous problem that prevents women’s integration and retention in the workforce. Its prevalence had been documented in previous health sector studies in Uganda, indicating that it affected staffing shortages and absenteeism but was largely unreported. To respond, the Ministry of Health needed in-depth information on its employees’ experiences of sexual harassment and non-reporting.MethodsOriginal descriptive research was conducted in 2017 to identify the nature, contributors, dynamics and consequences of sexual harassment in public health sector workplaces and assess these in relation to available theories. Multiple qualitative techniques were employed to describe experiences of workplace sexual harassment in health employees’ own voices. Initial data collection involved document reviews to understand the policy environment, same-sex focus group discussions, key informant interviews and baseline documentation. A second phase included mixed-sex focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and follow up key informant interviews to deepen and confirm understandings.ResultsA pattern emerged of men in higher-status positions abusing power to coerce sex from female employees throughout the employment cycle. Rewards and sanctions were levied through informal management/ supervision practices requiring compliance with sexual demands or work-related reprisals for refusal. Abuse of organizational power reinforced vertical segregation, impeded women’s productive work and abridged their professional opportunities. Unwanted sexual attention including non-consensual touching, bullying and objectification added to distress. Gender harassment which included verbal abuse, insults and intimidation, with real or threatened retaliation, victim-blaming and gaslighting in the absence of organizational regulatory mechanisms all suppressed reporting. Sexual harassment and abuse of patients by employees emerged inadvertently.Discussion/conclusionsSex-based harassment was pervasive in Ugandan public health workplaces, corrupted management practices, silenced reporting and undermined the achievement of human resources goals, possibilities overlooked in technical discussions of support supervision and performance management. Harassment of both health system patients and employees appeared normative and similar to “sextortion.” The mutually reinforcing intersections of sex-based harassment and vertical occupational segregation are related obstacles experienced by women seeking leadership positions. Health systems leaders should seek organizational and sectoral solutions to end sex-based harassment and make gender equality a human resource for health policy priority.

Gender, Power, and Harassment: Sociology in the #MeToo Era

This article examines what sociological research teaches us about gender, power, and harassment in the #MeToo era, showing how the sociological literature on harassment has both shaped and been shaped by legal definitions and scholarship. For instance, like case law, sociological research has tended to focus on the workplace to the exclusion of harassment in other spheres such as housing, as well as on sexual forms of harassment—despite evidence that nonsexual forms of sex-based harassment are even more common and just as harmful as sexual forms. While not all sociological studies of harassment employ an intersectional approach, those that do show that race and gender shape not only who is likely to be targeted but also how different people define and understand harassment. The sociological research suggests that mainstream organizational approaches to harassment fail to reduce rates of harassment and even elicit backlash but that some alternative approaches offer promise.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Risk and Protective Factors Among Black and Latinx Transgender Youth Compared With Peers

Black and Latinx transgender youth experience stigma that may increase their susceptibility to mental health symptoms. To compare past-year mental health symptoms and psychosocial factors among Black and Latinx transgender youth, White transgender youth, and Black and Latinx cisgender youth. This survey study used data from the 2015-2017 Biennial California Healthy Kids Survey with a weighted sample (N = 45 269) representative of California's secondary school population. The analytic sample (n = 19 780) included Black and Latinx transgender youth, White transgender youth, and Black and Latinx cisgender youth in the 9th and 11th grades. Data analysis was conducted from July 2020 to February 2021. Outcomes include past-year depressive symptoms and suicidality. Psychosocial risk factors include school-based victimization, gender-based harassment, sexuality-based harassment, and race-based harassment; protective factors include school connectedness and caring adult relationships. The analytic sample of 19 780 participants (in 9th grade: weighted percentage, 51% [95% CI, 50% to 52%]; female participants: weighted percentage, 50% [95% CI, 49% to 51%]) included 252 Black and Latinx transgender youth (weighted percentage, 1.3% [95% CI, 1.1% to 1.5%]), 104 White transgender youth (weighted percentage, 0.7% [95% CI, 0.6% to 0.8%]), and 19 424 Black and Latinx cisgender youth (weighted percentage, 98.0% [95% CI, 97.8% to 98.2%]). For Black and Latinx transgender youth, estimated prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidality were 50% (95% CI, 44% to 57%) and 46% (95% CI, 39% to 52%), respectively. Logistic regression models adjusted for grade, living arrangement, and reported sex indicated that compared with White transgender youth, Black and Latinx transgender youth had similar odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4 to 1.1) and suicidality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.8) and similar odds of all forms of harassment (eg, race-based harassment: adjusted odds ratio, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.8 to 2.6). Regression models indicated that compared with White transgender youth, Black and Latinx transgender youth had similar levels of victimization (adjusted linear regression coefficient, 0.5; 95% CI, -0.3 to 1.3) and caring adult relationships (adjusted linear regression coefficient, -0.6; 95% CI, -1.4 to 0.09) but lower levels of school connectedness (adjusted linear regression coefficient, -1.6; 95% CI, -2.9 to -0.4). With similar analyses, compared with Black and Latinx cisgender youth, Black and Latinx transgender youth had higher odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.0 to 3.7) and suicidality (adjusted odds ratio, 5.9; 95% CI, 4.3 to 8.0), higher odds and levels of all forms of harassment and victimization (eg, race-based harassment: adjusted odds ratio, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.4 to 4.5), and lower levels of school connectedness (adjusted linear regression coefficient, -2.6; 95% CI -3.3 to -1.8) and caring adult relationships (adjusted linear regression coefficient, -0.9; 95% CI -1.3 to -0.5). In this study, Black and Latinx transgender youth had high rates of mental health symptoms, with rates comparable with White transgender youth but higher than Black and Latinx cisgender youth. Their unique pattern of psychosocial risk and protective factors for these mental health symptoms should be factored in clinical preventive services and school-based interventions to support them.

Prevention of Sex-Based Harassment in K–12 Schools

Student sex-based harassment has a negative impact on individual students and on the school environment. This review of the literature describes the evolution of sex-based harassment from elementary through high school, clarifies the relationship between bullying and sex-based harassment, and summarizes the research-based system and individual factors that support the development of such harassment in schools. Based on the research, we recommend the adoption of a comprehensive planning process for prevention that addresses the factors that reinforce student sex-based harassment and supports the school’s bullying prevention efforts. School counselors can advocate for and play a leadership role in both developing and implementing a school-wide plan that includes needs assessment and evaluation. We offer suggestions for system-wide and individual interventions for school personnel and Tier 1–3 prevention and problem-solving interventions for students to support a healthy school environment free of sex-based harassment.

Questionnaire of exposure to workplace sex-based harassment

Polish research on gender-based sexual harassment at the workplace is relatively rare. The presented work aimed at developing a reliable tool to measure this phenomenon. The analyses of the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire of Exposure to Workplace Sex-Based Harassment were carried out on the basis of questionnaire data from employees of different occupational groups (N = 333). On the basis of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 5 questionnaire scales were distinguished (5 types of behavior indicating sexual harassment): Sexual coercion, Unwanted sexual interest, Gender membership harassment, Harassment for deviating from gender role and Offensive comments on the employee or his/her private life. Cronbach's α indicator of internal consistency for the whole questionnaire equaled 0.93; and for particular scales it ranged 0.85-0.90. The results of the performed analysis show that the Questionnaire of Exposure to Workplace Sex-Based Harassment has satisfactory psychometric characteristic. Med Pr. 2020;71(6):699-713.

College aspirations, gender sexuality alliances, and teacher support among diverse LGBTQ youth

ABSTRACT Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth report hostile school climates and sexuality-based harassment, but scholarship has not clearly documented how these climates might be associated with college aspirations among this population. Given college has become a common aspiration for many high school youths, we sought to explore subgroup differences in college aspirations among LGBTQ youth, and whether or not LGBTQ-specific community factors, such as Gender Sexuality Alliances (GSA) presence and teacher support, were related to college aspirations. To do this, we analysed a large sample (N = 11,327, Mage = 15.57) of LGBTQ youth from across the United States. We compared college aspirations across subgroups of youth via bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models to explore how school factors (i.e., presence of GSAs and LGBTQ-specific teacher supportiveness) were associated with college aspirations among LGBTQ youth. We found that transgender youth were less likely to aspire to go to college compared to cisgender counterparts. Additionally, more common sexual minority subgroups (e.g., gay/lesbian) were less likely to aspire to go to college compared to their counterparts with more emergent identity labels (e.g., asexual, queer). The presence of GSAs and higher reports of LGBTQ-supportive teachers were associated with increased odds of aspiring to go to college across all LGBTQ youth in our sample. These findings have implications for how schools and teachers prepare sexual and gender minorities for college. The findings imply that LGBTQ populations should not be treated as monolithic in their college readiness, preparation, and aspirations.

Isn't high school bad enough already? Rates of gender harassment and institutional betrayal in high school and their association with trauma-related symptoms.

Germinal studies have described the prevalence of sex-based harassment in high schools and its associations with adverse outcomes in adolescents. Studies have focused on students, with little attention given to the actions of high schools themselves. Though journalists responded to the #MeToo movement by reporting on schools' betrayal of students who report misconduct, this topic remains understudied by researchers. Gender harassment is characterized by sexist remarks, sexually crude or offensive behavior, gender policing, work-family policing, and infantilization. Institutional betrayal is characterized by the failure of an institution, such as a school, to protect individuals dependent on the institution. We investigated high school gender harassment and institutional betrayal reported retrospectively by 535 current undergraduates. Our primary aim was to investigate whether institutional betrayal moderates the relationship between high school gender harassment and current trauma symptoms. In our pre-registered hypotheses (https://osf.io/3ds8k), we predicted that (1) high school gender harassment would be associated with more current trauma symptoms and (2) institutional betrayal would moderate this relationship such that high levels of institutional betrayal would be associated with a stronger association between high school gender harassment and current trauma symptoms. Consistent with our first hypothesis, high school gender harassment significantly predicted college trauma-related symptoms. An equation that included participant gender, race, age, high school gender harassment, institutional betrayal, and the interaction of gender harassment and institutional betrayal also significantly predicted trauma-related symptoms. Contrary to our second hypothesis, the interaction term was non-significant. However, institutional betrayal predicted unique variance in current trauma symptoms above and beyond the other variables. These findings indicate that both high school gender harassment and high school institutional betrayal are independently associated with trauma symptoms, suggesting that intervention should target both phenomena.

Sex-Based Harassment and Symbolic Compliance

With the rise of the #MeToo movement, there has been a groundswell of attention to sex-based harassment. Organizations have pressured high-level personnel accused of harassment to resign, or fired them outright, and they have created or revised their anti-harassment policies, complaint procedures, and training programs. This article reviews social science and legal scholarship on sex-based harassment, focusing on definitions and understandings of sexual (and sex-based) harassment, statistics on its prevalence, the consequences of harassment both for those who are subjected to it and for organizations, and explanations for why sex-based harassment persists. We then discuss the various steps that organizations have taken to reduce sex-based harassment and the social science literature on the effectiveness of those steps. We conclude that many organizational policies prevent liability more than they prevent harassment, in part because courts often fail to distinguish between meaningful compliance and the merely symbolic policies and procedures that do little to protect employees from harassment.