Publication Date
12-1-2000
Degree Program
Department of Psychology
Degree Type
Master of Arts
Abstract
The Equal Employment Opportunity Guidelines on Sexual Harassment identify six factors that are relevant in determinations of sexual harassment. This study attempted to determine if three of these factors (i.e., frequency of harassment, number of victims and number of perpetrators) drive perceptions of what constitutes sexual harassment. Participants role-playing jurors on an hostile environment sexual harassment case demonstrated no differences in perceptions as a function of number of victims or number of perpetrators. The significant effect for frequency of harassment was not in the hypothesized direction, with less frequent harassment being perceived as more likely to constitute sexual harassment. The well-documented gender difference in perceptions of sexual harassment was observed in this study. However, analyses indicated that women are more likely to perceive a situation as sexually harassing because they are more feminine, not simply because of their gender.
Disciplines
Gender and Sexuality | Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Recommended Citation
Miller, Libby, "The Role of EEOC Factors in Determining Perceptions of Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment" (2000). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 730.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/730