An interdisciplinary approach to understanding social sexual conduct at work.

Wiener, Richard L.; Hurt, Linda E.

doi:10.1037/1076-8971.5.3.556

Cited by 36 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 87 publications

(169 reference statements)

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“…They have found a correlation between sexual harassment and hostile attitudes toward women (Mazer and Percival 1989;Reilly et al 1986;Wiener and Gutek 1999;Wiener and Hurt 1999). Women were found more likely to be sexually harassed when they do not comply with the prescriptive gender stereotypes which serve to maintain power inequality (Burgess and Borgida 1999).…”

Section: The Association Between Sexual Harassment and Attitudes Towamentioning

confidence: 95%

Predictors of Turkish Women’s and Men’s Attitudes toward Sexual Harassment: Ambivalent Sexism, and Ambivalence Toward Men

2010

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This study examined the relationships among ambivalent sexism (hostile/benevolent), ambivalence toward men (hostility/benevolence) and Turkish women/men's attitudes toward sexual harassment, including attitudes toward viewing sexual harassment as a result of provocative behaviors of women (ASHPBW) and attitudes toward viewing sexual harassment as a trivial matter (ASHTM). Participants included 220 Turkish undergraduates (136 female; M age =20.00). They tended to blame women for the incidents of sexual harassment whereas they viewed sexual harassment as a very important social problem. As compared to women, men scored higher in both ASHPBW and ASHTM, suggesting that men are more tolerant of sexual harassment. For both genders, hostile sexism and benevolence toward men predicted ASHPBW. However, for only men, hostile and benevolent sexism predicted ASHTM.

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Section: The Association Between Sexual Harassment and Attitudes Towamentioning

confidence: 95%

Predictors of Turkish Women’s and Men’s Attitudes toward Sexual Harassment: Ambivalent Sexism, and Ambivalence Toward Men

2010

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“…Accordingly, workers reach a preliminary judgment based on wellrehearsed and easily retrievable attitude structures. Prior research (Wiener & Hurt, 1999Wiener et al, 2002) demonstrated that at least two attitude structures, hostile sexism (i.e., women are aggressive and must be kept in their place through gender dominance) and benevolent sexism (i.e., woman are weak and should be protected from overbearing men) (Glick & Fiske, 1996), influence the perceptions of hostile work environment harassment. Workers and students who score high on the hostile (benevolent) sexism scale harbor antipathetic (protectionist) attitudes toward female harassment complainants and find less (more) evidence that they are victims of workplace discrimination.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent social psychological theory suggests that people may evaluate allegations of sexual harassment with various amounts of cognitive effort (Wiener & Hurt, 1999Wiener et al, 2002). Accordingly, workers reach a preliminary judgment based on wellrehearsed and easily retrievable attitude structures.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The More You See It, the More You Know It: Memory Accessibility and Sexual Harassment Judgments

et al. 2005

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The influence of the availability of personally known and media known sexual harassment victims and harassers on perceptions of social sexual workplace conduct was examined. Male and female full-time workers evaluated two videotapes that depict sexual harassment in the workplace. Results indicated that perceived likelihood of harassment and discrimination increased as participants recalled more examples of harassment victims whom they personally knew. In some instances, recall of victims in the media had a similar influence. As predicted, the influence of availability was stronger for men than for women. Similar findings resulted from the analyses of the unwelcomeness, severity, and pervasiveness of the conduct; however, legal standard, gender, or case often moderated this relationship. The implications of these findings are discussed.KEY WORDS: sexual harassment; availability heuristic; legal decision making.Shared folk psychology suggests that prior experience with social sexual conduct at work should influence evaluations of current complaints of sexual harassment. 4 Indeed, there is some evidence in the empirical literature that supports a relationship between prior experiences with social sexual conduct at work and judgments about current complaints. For example, Gowan and Zimmerman (1996) found that previous sexual harassment victims are more likely to perceive ambiguous behaviors and severe cases of harassment as offensive. However, when Stockdale, . 4 The psychological literature examining discrimination law uses the language "social sexual conduct" to describe workplace behavior that is often social (e.g., telling jokes, bantering, and horseplay) and always sexual in the sense that it focuses on genderbased issues (e.g., flirting, insulting comments related to gender, sexual attention). If this type of conduct meets the elements of Title VII discrimination law, then it constitutes sexual harassment. If it does not meet that standard, then it does not constitute actionable conduct (

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“…7 This gender gap in perceptions appears to be larger regarding more ambiguous, hostile environment behaviors than quid pro quo behaviors (see Baird et al 1995; Frazier, Cochran & Olson 1995; Rotundo, Nguyen & Sackett 2001; Thacker & Gohmann 1993). Some point to this research as providing evidence in support of the use of a reasonable woman standard, as contrasted with a reasonable person standard, in sexual harassment court cases involving female plaintiffs (see Wiener et al 1997; Wiener & Hunt 1999). For our purposes, this literature highlights the importance of taking into account gender differences in any investigation of worker perceptions of sexual harassment.…”

Section: Influences On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassmentmentioning

confidence: 90%

Changing Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workforce, 1987–94

2006

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Recent criticisms of sexual harassment law and workplace training policies contend that they have "sanitized" the workplace through their stigmatization of sexual expression that does not amount to actual discrimination. This study assesses some of the empirical foundations for those normative arguments. Using data from the U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board's 1987 and surveys, we examine differences over time in federal workers' perceptions of what types of behavior constitute sexual harassment. The article draws on a sociolegal theory of the endogenous nature of law as well as research on perceptions of sexual harassment. We hypothesize that, because of increased attention to sexual harassment, and to the hostile environment theory specifically, by scholars, judges, and the news media, and related policy changes in workplace training programs, federal workers likely came to view a wider range of sexual conduct as constituting harassment during this time period. The results support our expectations. We also find that sexual harassment training in their agency increased workers' likelihood of viewing both hostile environment behavior and quid pro quo behavior as harassment.Recent criticisms of sexual harassment law and workplace training policies contend that the focus of lawyers, judges, and managers on eliminating all forms of sexual behavior in the workplace has "sanitized" the workplace, stigmatizing even sexual expression that does not amount to actual discrimination. For example, according to Schultz (2003), a narrow focus on sexual harassment law, by scholars and managers alike, has resulted in the failure of the law to confront and remedy gender discrimination in the workplace that occurs in nonsexual forms. Toobin (1998), writing in the popular press, echoes Schultz (1998) in challenging the direction of sexual harassment doctrine. We seek here to examine in greater depth an important piece of the empirical puzzle upon which these and other criticisms rest by analyzing federal workers' perceptions of what behaviors constitute sexual harassment and, specifically, whether these perceptions have changed over time.

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An interdisciplinary approach to understanding social sexual conduct at work.

Cited by 36 publications

References 87 publications

Predictors of Turkish Women’s and Men’s Attitudes toward Sexual Harassment: Ambivalent Sexism, and Ambivalence Toward Men

Predictors of Turkish Women’s and Men’s Attitudes toward Sexual Harassment: Ambivalent Sexism, and Ambivalence Toward Men

The More You See It, the More You Know It: Memory Accessibility and Sexual Harassment Judgments

Changing Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workforce, 1987–94

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