Sexual Harassment In Organizations Research Articles

Presumed Patriarchy: How a CEO's Masculine Appearance Affects Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in Organizations

Workplace sexual harassment remains an insidious yet pervasive component of organizational life. Building on research that has established that leaders play an important role in condoning or revoking sexual harassment, we theorize that a CEO's appearance—specifically, the extent to which their face is prototypically masculine—can influence employee assumptions about the patriarchal nature of organizational hierarchy, which, in turn, influences their perceptions of the degree to which sexual harassment will be tolerated. We test these ideas in three complementary studies. Study 1 observes that employees in large organizations headed by a CEO with a more masculine face report more instances of sexual harassment in online reviews. Study 2 uses an experiment to show that CEO facial masculinity drives followers’ perceptions that sexual harassment is tolerated in an organization by increasing the presumption that the organization is patriarchal. Study 3 affirms these results with a sample of new employees both before and after their first day on the job. Together, these studies provide evidence that a presumption of patriarchy increases the perceived tolerance for sexual harassment, which yields more observations of sexual harassment in the workplace.

KETIDAKSETARAAN GENDER DI TEMPAT KERJA : TINJAUAN MENGENAI PROSES DAN PRAKTEK DALAM ORGANISASI

This article aims to examine more broadly the extent of gender inequality in processes and practices covering a wide range of areas ranging from performance evaluation, compensation, and leadership opportunities, to sexual harassment in organizations. This literature review makes it possible to review the factors that facilitate and hinder gender equality in the workplace. The review identifies gaps in the literature review provides suggestions for future research and highlights practical implications for organizations aiming to reduce gender inequality and value gender equality in organizations.

From #MeToo to #TimesUp: Identifying Next Steps in Sexual Harassment Research in the Organizational Sciences

Organizational scholarship on workplace sexual harassment has been dormant in recent decades. Yet, the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements—which have shed critical light on experiences of sexual harassment in organizations—suggests that renewed scholarly attention on this topic is both crucial and warranted. In the current commentary, we provide recommendations for ways that scholars can revitalize attention to this topic, extending both scholarly and practitioner understanding of this phenomenon. In addition, we encourage scholars to begin expanding the conceptualization of sexual harassment to also encompass more subtle forms of harassment. Critically, broadening our scholarly knowledge of workplace sexual harassment can inform organizational policies and procedures aimed toward reducing its prevalence and impact.

Not So Silent: How Social Support is Given and Received in Dealing with Sexual Harassment in Sri Lankan Work-Places

The aim of this paper is to explore how silence, secrecy and censorship related to sexual harassment are fragmented through dialogue and information sharing among social networks, leading to different types of social support given and received. In-depth interviews with 40 respondents and focus group discussions with four groups were carried out under the qualitative research approach. The theory of social support was employed as the theoretical basis of the study. The findings indicated that through dialogue and information sharing related to sexual harassment within social networks of friends, family, co-workers and sometimes superiors, women gain and give emotional, informational, instrumental and appraisal support, emphasizing the many instances when the issue becomes open, non-privatized, and social. Stemming from these findings, implications for managers in terms of using social support as a means of dealing with sexual harassment in organizations are discussed.

Sexual harassment: Have we made any progress?

Sexual harassment (SH) is a continuing, chronic occupational health problem in organizations and work environments. First addressed in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology through a 1998 Special Section on Sexual Harassment, we return to this consequential issue. If the goal is to reduce SH in organizations, and we believe that it should be, then a key question is whether we have made progress in 2 decades. The answer is mixed. Yes, there is a 28% decline in SH complaints. No, there is an increase in complaints by males. No, there has been an increase in the percentage of merit resolutions and monetary benefits. Maybe, because how do we explain the complexity of SH with emergent gay, lesbian, and transgender workforce members. One persistent problematic aspect of SH lack of agreement on definition. We address 2 of the 3 definitional approaches. We consider the broad, negative consequences for organizations and for individual victims. Harassers and aggressors destroy lives, leaving long legacies of suffering. In addition, we offer some suggestions for moving forward in science and practice, with emphasis on the role of the bystander. We conclude that SH is a preventable, if not always predictable, occupational health problem. (PsycINFO Database Record

Sexual harassment at the workplace: how organizations can pro-actively reduce its incidence

Purpose This paper aims to describe the role of human resources in organizations in preventing sexual harassment (SH) at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach This paper explains how SH is detrimental to the organization and why creating awareness about SH is essential for both men and women in the organization. Findings Findings show how organizations can pro-actively prevent the incidence of SH by creating a zero tolerance for SH in organizations with top management commitment and the formulation and enforcement of a policy against SH. Originality/value The paper creates a case for proactive preventive measures such as sensitization, policy formulation and enforcement to combat SH in organizations rather than pursuing a reactive approach.

Ethical Dilemmas for Human Resource Professionals in Handling Sexual Harassment at Workplaces: Cases from Sri Lanka

The aim of this article is to explore the ethical dilemmas faced by Human Resource (HR) professionals when handling sexual harassment in organizations, using a multidimensional framework suggested by Kevin Wooten for studying Human Resource Management (HRM) ethics. Employing a qualitative research approach, HR professionals of 10 Sri Lankan companies operating in different industries were selected for the study using a purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and documents. The nature of ethical dilemmas faced by HR professionals (such as misrepresentation and collussion, misuse of data , manipulation and collusion, value and goals conflict and technical ineptness), when handling sexual harassment in organizations within an HRM environment, which is greatly influenced by the legislative/regulatory climate, demographic trends and social climate with organizational, personal and professional ethics overlapping and intersecting in different ways and instances, was revealed . The main areas under sexual harassment that give rise to these ethical dilemmas were identified as; 1) handling complaints without proper evidence and failing to ensure the truthfulness of data 2) handling complaints against key persons, 3) managing tempting behaviours at workplaces in order to prevent sexual harassment occurrences, 4) unawareness about the issue of sexual harassment at workplaces, and 5) the inability to ensure complete confidentiality. Further, the study also explores environmental influences and other competing ethical considerations which influence the occurrence of these ethical dilemmas.

Sexually Harassing Messages: Decoding Workplace Conversation

Research has documented the occurrence and impact of sexual harassment in organizations. Yet, scholars have not considered the way in which the language features of conversation contribute to the construction of verbal sexual harassment. Indirect language features were compiled through an analysis of transcripts from video, audio, and written stimuli used in sexual harassment research and transcripts of sexual harassment training videos. These interactions were analyzed for six language features: (a) relationship attempts, (b) contextually grounded opportunity for (c) multiple meanings including (d) sexual references, and (e) presence of real or presumed power relative to the (f) receiver's indications that the overtures were unwanted. Analyses result in theorem to more clearly specify the manner in which sexual harassment emerges from conversation, a process naturally embedded in the practice of work.

Modeling Subordinate Perceptions of Sexual Harassment: The Role of Superior–Subordinate Social–Sexual Interaction

The last 25 years have seen a dramatic increase in empirical studies in the area of sexual harassment. Yet no conceptual model exists that incorporates the complexity of moderators of sexually harassing behavior, attributions made due to this behavior, and how this behavior affects social–sexual interaction, which may lead to variations in the perception of sexual harassment. This article breaks new theoretical ground by proposing an integrative framework, which seeks to examine antecedents of the perception of sexual harassment in organizations from an interactional perspective. The model highlights and examines the intermediate stages of social–sexual interaction that may be critical in understanding the nature and perception of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Dialogue through Standpoint

It is important to rethink sexual harassment by addressing the following question: Because most men do not harass women, why do men tend to be resistant to admitting the breadth and depth of sexual harassment in organizations? The author posits that because men and women do not understand each other’s standpoints on sexual harassment, a gap exists between men’s and women’s understanding of what sexual harassment means. Specifically, men’s power over standpoint and the related fear of marginalization clash with women’s power with standpoint and the related fear of physical harm. The author concludes by suggesting that engaging in a dialogue with the goals of understanding and accepting other standpoints is necessary before sexual harassment can be approached in a humanistic manner.

Sexual Harassment in the Armed Forces: A Test of an Integrated Model

Although considerable attention has been paid to the frequency of sexual harassment in the military (e.g., Martindale, 1991), and more recent work has begun to document its antecedents (e.g., Hunter Williams, Fitzgerald, & Drasgow, 1999/this issue) and outcomes (Magley, Waldo, Drasgow, & Fitzgerald, 1999/this issue), little attempt has been made to conceptualize the overall process in an integrated way. In this article, we examine the usefulness of Fitzgerald, Hulin, and Drasgow's (1995) theoretical model of sexual harassment in organizations for describing and explaining the predictors, extent, and outcomes of this problem in the uniformed services. According to the model, organizational tolerance for sexual harassment and the gender context of the workgroup are critical antecedents of harassment, which, in turn, exert a negative influence on work-related variables (e.g., job satisfaction, organizational commitment), psychological states (e.g., anxiety, depression), and physical health. This model was tested, separately for women and men, in a sample of more than 28,000 military personnel who responded to the 1995 Department of Defense survey of gender issues in the military. The results indicate that harassment occurs less frequently in groups whose members perceive that the organization's upper levels will not tolerate such behavior as well as in more gender-balanced workgroups. Harassment was associated with negative job attitudes, as well as lowered psychological well-being and health satisfaction, even after controlling for effects of job. The study confirms the utility of the model for understanding sexual harassment in the military, thus extending its generalizability beyond the civilian organizational settings in which it was developed.

Sexual Harassment: A Preliminary Test of an Integrative Model1

Despite the recent increase in research on sexual harassment, most studies have examined the relevant variables in isolation, and little is known concerning the ways in which they may interact or the relative importance of their effects for individuals or organizations. Fitzgerald and her colleagues (Fitzgerald, Hulin, & Drasgow. 1995; Fitzgerald & Ormerod, 1993) proposed a model of the antecedents and outcomes of sexual harassment in organizations. The present study examines a modified version of this model using path analysis with a sample of women employed by the federal government in the late 1980s. These analyses support the basic form of the model, suggesting that sexual harassment is a joint function of the gender context of the victim's job, her relative vulnerability, and the tolerance of the organization for sexual harassment. In turn, harassment was shown to have a negative impact on work and health‐related outcomes, exacerbated by assertive coping responses. The implications for organizations are discussed along with recommendations for more stringent tests of the model.

Bridging the gap between romantic relationships and sexual harassment in organizations

Workplace romances and sexual harassment are pervasive in today's organizations. However, despite the fact that these two phenomena share a social-sexual component, they have primarily been treated as unrelated organizational issues. We advance an affective link between workplace romances and sexual harassment. Based on this theoretical connection, we discuss conditions under which workplace romances may result in sexual harassment. Finally, we address managerial implications of the romance–harassment link. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Antecedents and consequences of sexual harassment in organizations: a test of an integrated model.

Sexual harassment of women in organizational settings has recently become a topic of interest to researchers and the general public alike. Although numerous studies document its frequency, the development of conceptual models identifying antecedents and consequences of harassment has proceeded at a slower pace. In this article, an empirical test of a recently proposed conceptual model is described. According to the model, organizational climate for sexual harassment and job gender context are critical antecedents of sexual harassment; harassment, in turn, influences work-related variables (e.g., job satisfaction); psychological states (e.g., anxiety and depression); and physical health. On the basis of a sample of women employed at a large, regulated utility company, the model's predictions were generally supported.

Antecedents and consequences of sexual harassment in organizations: A test of an integrated model.

Antecedents and consequences of sexual harassment in organizations: A test of an integrated model.

`It's Only Dick': The Sexual Harassment of Women Managers in Insurance Sales

Most studies of sexual harassment in organizations have used quantitative methods to measure the incidence of cases. Less attention has focused upon the qualitative dynamics of workplace sexual harassment. Drawing upon detailed qualitative and quantitative data, this paper explores the complex organisational interactions and interrelationships through which the vicious circles of sexual harassment can be reproduced. Highlighting women managers' experiences of sexual harassment, as well as their responses and coping strategies, the paper reveals the pervasive, persistent and privileged character of men's sexuality in the UK insurance sales industry. On the basis of these findings and those of several other related studies, we argue that sexual harassment in non-traditional work for women may be more extensive and aggressive than in traditional forms of female employment.

Prevention and the Ecology of Sexual Harassment:

Sexual harassment is a pervasive form of sexual exploitation that has a devastating impact on women. Although there is an increasing literature on the development of policies and procedures to deal with sexual harassment situations, relatively little has been done either to address the diverse conditions that set the stage for harassment or to design preventive interventions. An ecological analysis of sexual harassment is used to identify individual, relationship and environmental risk factors and to formulate preventive approaches. The function of sexual harassment in organizations and the ways in which organizational climates contribute to harassment are discussed. The fostering of empowering climates is proposed as critical to prevention, and several dimensions of empowering climates are explored.

The evolutionary psychology of sexual harassment in organizations

We explore the value of theory developed in the field of evolutionary psychology for predicting and explaining patterns of sociosexual interaction between men and women in the workplace. In particular, we focus on assessing the value of this theoretical framework for increasing our understanding of the behavioral phenomenon of sexual harassment in organizations. To do this, we develop hypotheses based on a consideration of the evolved psychological mechanisms which have been proposed by evolutionary psychologists to underly human sexual behavior. We then review the existing literature on sociosexual behavior and sexual harassment within the workplace as a preliminary test of predictions concerning the expected profile, reaction, and motivation of recipients and initiators of sexual advances in the workplace. We also analyze the expected effect of novel aspects of the organizational environment on overt sexual behavior. This theory predicts, for example, that most sexual harassment will be initiated by men, and that young, single women will be the most frequent victims. This theory also predicts that women will generally experience a more negative reaction than men to sexual advances in the workplace, but that this emotional response will be mediated by other factors such as the profile of the initiator. The available data generally confirm these and other related predictions. Moreover, these results are quite consistent with other studies of the evolutionary psychology of human sexuality. We discuss the implications for theory in this area, and suggest some potentially fruitful avenues for original empirical research on human sexual behavior, inside or outside the workplace.

Communication strategies for managing sexual harassment in organizations: Understanding message options and their effects

Abstract This paper employs theoretical message frameworks from literature on assertiveness, intra‐organizational influence, and message design logic to present an interpersonal communication approach for managing sexual harassment in organizations. A multiple‐goals interpretation of the literature on sexual harassment is used to understand the situational features that make sexual harassment difficult to deflect through face‐to‐face communication. The discussion of situational features provides a general context for evaluating the potential effectiveness of message strategies that may be used to manage sexual harassment. The paper concludes with guidelines for developing education programs in organizations and with suggestions for research in the area.

Sexual harassment in organizations

Sexual harassment is now recognized as a potential problem for most organizations. The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the various aspects of sexual harassment as a problem: its definition (including both the “economic injury” and “hostile environment” types of harassment), its characteristics, and a discussion of how to deal with such problems in the workplace. Organizations are encouraged to act affirmatively by (1) establishing a policy prohibiting sexual harassment in the organization; (2) establishing and making employees aware of a grievance procedure for sexual harassment complaints; and (3) educating employees about the problem of sexual harassment through a combination of awareness and experiential training techniques.