Contemporary issues in human resource management

Sexual Harassment: An Analysis

"A Meta-Analytic Review of Gender Differences in Perceptions of Sexual Harassment." By Rotundo, Nguyen & Sackett (2001).

In this study the researchers examine sexual harassment with a critical eye, with the intent of determining whether gender differences might influence an individual's perception of sexual harassment. The authors in the study conduct a meta-analysis of 62 different studies on gender differences and sexual harassment. The study suggests that women perceive more behaviors as harassing than men do. In addition the study reveals that females were often subject to more hostile work environment harassment, derogatory attitudes and pressure in the workforce, which may have influenced the differences in gender perceptions of harassment.

The authors of this study focus on a broad range of sexual harassment cases that span many different industries, organizations and practices. The study focuses on the impact sexual harassment has on victims with the intent of revealing gender differences in perceptions about sexual harassment. The most revealing aspect of the article is information which suggests that males generally tend to have a more relaxed attitude regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, and are less likely to view comments regarding sex or related matters as harassing and more likely to regard such comments as flattery or complementary. This coincides with information revealed in the second article analyzed, to be discussed in greater detail below.

This article is critical because it discusses not simply the topic of harassment but works to identify what behaviors are sexually harassing and how men and women may perceive different behaviors in the workplace. In order for managers to fully understand what behaviors actually constitute sexual harassment, the researchers point out it is critical that studies first analyze how individual differences in perceptions of sexual harassment come into existence and affect perceptions of harassment in the workplace. That the study concludes that women are more likely to perceive a broader range of behaviors as harassing is not surprising, given the statistics quoted in the article which suggest that women are overall more subjected to harassment in the workplace.

The study also reveals that differences in perception of sexual harassment may stem from problems judicial authorities have had in resolving claims of sexual harassment. They study points out that the EEOC has defined sexual harassment as verbal or physical conduct that "unreasonably interferes with an individual's job performance or creates and intimidating or hostile work environment" (Rotundo, et. al, 2001).

The study points out that traditionally the courts have interpreted cases based on a judging perceptions and circumstances from the perspective of a 'reasonable person' in similar circumstances and cites examples such as Radtke v. Everett, 1991. Other studies that are similar in nature include Blumenthal (1998) who also conducted a meta-analytic review of sexual harassment literature, showing that women also generally perceive a larger range of behaviors as harassing than men do. He suggests that gender difference is pervasive in organizations whether small or large.

In a similar study the authors not that Blakely et. al (1998) examines the effects of gender and sexual harassment training on different populations and finds that males are more ambiguous toward sexually oriented behaviors than females and view typical social behaviors as less harassing than females. There are numerous other studies which also support the author's research with regard to sexual harassment.

Article 2: "Well Below the Threshold for Sexual Harassment Can Help You Avoid an Unexpected Lawsuit." J.W. Janove, 2001.

In this article the author examines the importance of identifying a firm's threshold for sexual harassment in order to avoid unexpected lawsuits. The author suggests that organizations generally experience three surprises when faced with a lawsuit related to sexual harassment. The first is that the employee engaging in the most "egregious sexual behavior" often claims to be the victim of sexual harassment himself; the next is that the "true victims" of sexual harassment" typically do not sue or complain, and the third is that "harassers frequently have no desire to offend, or knowledge that they are offending others" (Janove, 2001).

This last statement is perhaps the most important because it directly ties into the first article and study conducted by Rotundo, Nguyen and Sackett (2001) which suggests that different people may perceive certain social behaviors in different ways, thus what appears to be sexual harassment to one may not appear as sexual harassment to another.

Janove (2001) goes on to claim that many employees actually engage in sexual harassment. Further the author suggests that many employees are unaware of their own behaviors and do not view them as sexually harassing, whether male or female, until the harassment blatantly effects them or impacts them in a negative manner. Janove (2001) does point out that there are many victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, but that often those most affected tend to keep quite, or attempt to avoid their harassers altogether when possible.

In a case study the author points out that some managers still fail to take action against supervisors or managers that may be engaging in sexually harassing behaviors, in part because they may be engaging in similar behaviors themselves. This was shown to be more often the case in a male dominated work environment that one that was more gender neutral.

Silence according to the author does not indicate a lack of knowledge regarding HR law or sexual harassment issues, but rather suggests that many employees have expressed a desire to avoid conflict rather than face the consequences of coming forth against harassers.

The author cites a study reported by Joan Kennedy Taylor in "What to do when you don't want to call the cops" which reveals that when women are propositioned they are more likely to be offended, whereas when men are propositioned in the workplace they are more likely to be flattered. This study is supported by numerous other studies that suggest that gender differentiation does exist with regard to perceptions of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Analysis

Both of the articles reviewed examine sexual harassment from a similar perspective. They both acknowledge the prevalence of sexual harassment and note that gender differentiations still exist in the workplace with regard to perceptions of sexual harassment. The first article and the second acknowledge that numerous studies have been conducted (Blumenthal, 1998; Blakely et. all, 1998) which acknowledge that sexual harassment is more often perceived as offensive by males than females, more often acceptable to males than females, and that more behaviors are considered harassing to females than males in the traditional work environment.

Each of the authors in the articles reviews cites literature studies that also concur with the conclusions drawn, suggesting that as a whole sexual harassment continues to be a pervasive problem within the corporate workforce that more negatively impacts the female population than the male population.