Adolescents at Work

Abstract

This study describes adolescents' experiences with sexual harassment while working part-time and attending high school. In a sample of 712 high school students, 35% of the 332 students who work part-time report experiencing sexual harassment (63% girls, 37% boys). Results revealed that there are differences in the experience of sexual harassment by gender, work relationship, and emotional reaction. Students experienced harassment from supervisors (19%), coworkers (61%), and unidentified others at work (18%). Girls reported being significantly more upset and threatened by the sexual harassment they experienced at work than boys reported. SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTHResearch findings support the negative effects of harassment and show that female victims of harassment experience a wide 953

Sexual Harassment and Psychosocial Maturity Outcomes among Young Adults Recalling Their First Adolescent Work Experiences

“…Investigations among U.S. samples support this idea. For instance, Fineran (2002) offered evidence that female adolescents were more upset than their male counterparts by unwanted sexual attention at work, suggesting a gender difference in the appraisal of sexual harassment. We therefore developed the next hypothesis as follows:…”

“…Yet, despite this body of scholarship on work stressors, that literature has virtually overlooked the ripe conditions for the sexualized exploitation of adolescents in their early work experience. One exception to this paucity of attention was a study by Fineran (2002), which offered some descriptive information about patterns among adolescent encounters with sexual harassment. Surveying U.S. highschool-age boys and girls who worked part-time, she reported that 63% of the girls had experienced some form of sexual harassment at work, and 37% of the boys reported the same.…”

Beyond the Frying Pan: Addressing Work Issues with Women in Therapy

“…The organizational and management literature addresses gender differences in different aspects of job performance (Mausner-Dorsch & Eaton, 2000), and the mental health literature explores marital and individual differences between working and non-working females (described in previous two paragraphs). In addition, a couple of articles in violence-specific journals look at sexual harassment (Campbell, Raja, & Grining, 1999;Fineran, 2002). Buckley (2002) was the only author found who addressed clinical work with professional women.…”

“…People commonly express components of sexuality and power through sexual harassment. Negative effects of harassment include decreased self-confidence, anger, anxiety, depression, helplessness, fear of rape and crime (Fineran, 2002). It is estimated that at least one-half of all US women and 15 percent of men will be sexually harassed at some point in their careers (Bell et al, 2002).…”

“…It is estimated that at least one-half of all US women and 15 percent of men will be sexually harassed at some point in their careers (Bell et al, 2002). In the majority of these cases, men are perpetrators and women are targets (Fineran, 2002). Men are socialized to think they should welcome any sexual advances and should never be intimidated by a woman.…”