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ABSTRACT
Research on sexual harassment is still in its infancy. Over the past 20 years, research has moved from prevalence studies to more sophisticated empirical and theoretical analyses of the causes and consequences of sexual harassment. This review provides an overview of the prevalence and measurement of harassment along with some suggestions for developing standard measures of sexual harassment. Researchers are encouraged to include organizational forms of harassment in their measures, along with commonly understood individual forms. The most prominent and promising explanations of harassment are discussed including societal, organizational, and individual level approaches. Of particular promise are approaches incorporating the gendered nature of organizational structures and processes. Research on the responses to and consequences of sexual harassment are also presented. The review ends with a discussion of overlooked areas and directions for future research, including the need for more advanced survey data collection techniques and qualitative research.
Even social scientists didn't study it,and they study everything that moves. Catherine MacKinnon (1987:106; commenting on the lack of information about sexual harassment)
KEY WORDS: measurement, organizational context, consequences of harassment
Twenty years ago, the study of sexual harassment focussed on whether or not sexual harassment was a social problem worthy of study and on descriptive analyses of its prevalence. In recent years, research has shifted to more sophisticated empirical and theoretical analyses of the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. Research now exists that attempts to answer many of the fundamental questions surrounding sexual harassment: What is sexual harassment? How prevalent is sexual harassment? What are the predictors of sexual harassment? And what are the responses to and consequences of sexual harassment? This review outlines the major accomplishments in this field, some of its pitfalls, and research directions for the future.
WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
From a legal standpoint, sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination composed of two forms of behavior: quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment harassment. Quid pro quo harassment involves sexual threats or bribery that are made a condition of employment or used as the basis for employment decisions. Hostile environment harassment captures those behaviors, such as sexual jokes, comments, and touching, that interfere with an individual's ability to do her/his job or that create an "intimidating,...