Gender Harassment: Broadening Our Understanding of Sex-Based Harassment at Work

This study challenges the common legal and organizational practice of privileging sexual advance forms of sex-based harassment, while neglecting gender harassment. Survey data came from women working in two male-dominated contexts: the military and the legal profession. Their responses to the Sexual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law and human behavior 2011-02, Vol.35 (1), p.25-39
Main Authors: Leskinen, Emily A, Cortina, Lilia M, Kabat, Dana B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Analysis
Attorneys
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Bribery
Coercion
Community and Environmental Psychology
Cooperation
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Employees
Employment
Federal court decisions
Female
Female employees
Females
Gender
Gender discrimination
Harassment
Hostility
Human
Humans
Law
Law and Psychology
Law enforcement
Legal Personnel
Legal Profession
Male
Middle Aged
Military Personnel
Original Article
Personality and Social Psychology
Psychology
Sex
Sex discrimination
Sexism
Sexual behavior
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment - classification
Sexual Harassment - legislation & jurisprudence
Sexual Harassment - psychology
Social sciences
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Terminology
Victimization
Victims
Well Being
Wellbeing
Women
Women, Working
Work environment
Working Conditions
Working Women
Workplace
Workplaces
Young Adult
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Description
Summary:This study challenges the common legal and organizational practice of privileging sexual advance forms of sex-based harassment, while neglecting gender harassment. Survey data came from women working in two male-dominated contexts: the military and the legal profession. Their responses to the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) revealed five typical profiles of harassment: low victimization, gender harassment, gender harassment with unwanted sexual attention, moderate victimization, and high victimization. The vast majority of harassment victims fell into one of the first two groups, which described virtually no unwanted sexual advances. When compared to non-victims, gender-harassed women showed significant decrements in professional and psychological well-being. These findings underscore the seriousness of gender harassment, which merits greater attention by both law and social science.
ISSN:0147-7307
1573-661X
DOI:10.1007/s10979-010-9241-5