Women in a Man's World: Sexual Harassment

Abstract

Sexual harassment is defined and surveys used to establish its extent, consequences, and most prevalent characteristics of harassers and victims. The psychodynamics of sexual harassment maintains an unequal power structure between the sexes, forcing women into compliance with nurturant or sexual aspects of the traditional sex role. Resistance to group pressure gives a woman the role of deviant. Characteristic group responses to a deviant result in isolation or severe sexual harassment. Refusal to comply with sexual harassment elicits aggression and denigration of the woman. Group responses to a victim create a hostile environment with an increase in the likelihood of further sexual harassment and denigration. ft is possible for work groups to develop sexual equality and integration by changing the male task directive/female nurturant or courting repertoires to express equal power and affiliation between the sexes. Organizational policies to encourage integration are suggested.