NCJ Number
162499
Editor(s)
M S Stockdale
Date Published
1996
Length
317 pages
Annotation
In providing a comprehensive review of what is currently known about sexual harassment, this book presents 13 papers that address perspectives on sexual harassment in the workplace, research frontiers, and strategies for change in responding to harassment.
Abstract
The first section examines various perspectives on sexual harassment. One chapter in this section provides a sociological perspective on sexual harassment that explores the societal-based power dynamics that may explain the sexual harassment of female faculty members. Another chapter examines the impact of race and ethnicity on sexual harassment experiences and response patterns, followed by a chapter that debunks the popular view that perpetrators of sexual harassment may only be misperceiving women's friendly behaviors as signs of a sexual come-on. Other chapters in this section provide an analysis of higher court decisions to describe the emerging legal theory on hostile work environment and an ethical perspective on sexual harassment that may help explain how observers or bystanders make judgments about and respond to sexual harassment. The second section of the book explores specific research issues in sexual harassment. Topics discussed include organizational influences on sexual harassment, sexual harassment types and severity, an integrated framework for studying the outcomes of sexual harassment, and a model for estimating the costs of sexual harassment. The final section provides guidance for constructing effective interventions to counter sexual harassment. One chapter proposes strategies for addressing sexual harassment that are drawn from the fields of domestic violence and organizational change. Another chapter recommends an integrated systems approach for responding to complaints of sexual harassment, and the final chapter presents a case study of a flawed work environment and response to complaints of sexual harassment in an academic institution. For individual chapters, see NCJ-162500-12. Chapter references and a subject index