Factors affecting perceptions of workplace sexual harassment

This study investigated several variables that determine how one interprets another's behavior as sexually harassing in ambiguous situations. Data were collected from 1234 male and female graduate and undergraduate student subjects who responded to 24 versions of a vignette describing an interaction between a male and female who worked for the same firm (2 x 3 x 2 x 2 design). Variables manipulated included (1) amount of prior socializing of the man and woman; (2) job status (peer coworker, direct supervisor, executive) of harasser; (3) verbal versus touching behavior; and (4) physical setting (at computer terminal or happy hour). Results revealed several main effects such that a male's potentially harassing behavior toward a female was evaluated more negatively (1) when the pair had not previously socialized, (2) when the harasser was a supervisor or executive, (3) when it involved verbal comments, and (4) when the behavior occurred in a work (versus social) setting. Additional analysis revealed that, contrary to previous studies, there were no male-female differences among respondents in evaluations of behavior as harassing.