The Effects of Subtle Sexual Harassment on Women's Performance in a Job Interview

DOI: 10.1007/s11199-005-4279-4Sex Roles, Vol. 53, Nos. 1/2, July 2005 ( C 2005)The Effects of Subtle Sexual Harassment on Womens

Performance in a Job InterviewJulie A. Woodzicka1,3 and Marianne LaFrance2Although we now know about the long-term consequences of moderate to severe sexual harassment, little is known about the immediate effects of more subtle harassment. The present

study was designed to examine real-time consequences of subtle sexual harassment in a job

interview using objective indicators of job performance. Fifty women were recruited for a

job interview. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two interview conditions during

which they were asked either three sexual or non-sexual questions interspersed with standard

interview questions. In the former, women applicants spoke less fluently, gave lower quality

answers, and asked fewer job relevant questions than did those in the non-sexual interview.

It thus appears that even relatively mild harassment disrupts immediate performance.KEY WORDS: sexual harassment; performance; interview.Social scientists and lawyers alike know that sexual harassment disrupts ones work life. Survey data

indicate, for example, that harassment negatively affects both perceptions of job performance (Crull,

1982; Dansky & Kilpatrick, 1997; Glomb, Munson,

Hulin, Bergman, & Drasgow, 1999) and work satisfaction (Gruber & Bjorn, 1982; Magley, Waldo,

Drasgow, & Fitzgerald, 1999; Piotrkowski, 1998). In a

survey of over 3,000 women, 70% of harassment victims stated that unwanted sexual advances or comments interfered with their ability to do their jobs

(Dansky & Kilpatrick, 1997). The legal system also

acknowledges that sexual harassment is disruptive,

producing work performance stress as well as distraction from tasks, dread of work, and the inability

to work (Robinson v. Jacksonville Shipyards, 1991,p. 1506). In its most severe form, harassment so interferes with a targets ability to do her job that the

harassing conduct meets the legal standard for employment discrimination.1Department of Psychology, Washington and Lee University,

Lexington, Virginia.2Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven,

Connecticut.3To whom correspondence should be addressed at Washington

and Lee University, Department of Psychology, Lexington,

Virginia 24450; e-mail: [email protected] we know quite a bit about moderate and severe forms of harassment, much less is

known about the effects of more subtle sexual harassment that might not meet criteria for legally actionable behavior. Further, little is known about realtime objective effects of subtle harassment. Although

retrospective...