Department

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Utilizing an intersectional approach to understand the convergence of sexual harassment (SH) and race in the workplace, this study will explore the following research questions: Do people of color experience greater rates of workplace SH, specifically when committed by non-minority perpetrators? Do people of color report and perceive that SH complaints are taken seriously by their organization? Based on the notion of double jeopardy, that various factors of identity have a multiplicative effect on experienced discrimination, it is expected that minority members are more likely to experience SH and less likely to report, and if they report, they will perceive that SH complaints will not be seriously addressed (Berdahl & Moore, 2006). Given that SH has been utilized as a tactic to control and dominate rather than merely motivated by sexual desire, studying it within the workplace framework will reveal underlying power structures embedded within organizations. It is hypothesized that minority victims experience more SH than non-minority victims (H1) and that non-minority perpetrators commit more SH than minority perpetrators (H2). Non-minority perpetrators engage in more SH compared to minority perpetrators against minority victims compared to non-minority victims (H3). Additionally, minority victims are less likely to report incidences of SH compared to non-minority victims (H4) and minority victims perceive that their complaints of SH are taken less seriously compared to non-minority victims (H5). A survey will be administered via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to attain a large and diverse sample. Measures will include established surveys, such as the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ), and survey items created specifically for this study. Respondents will be asked about experienced/witnessed incidents of SH, and whether SH incidents were reported and perceived to be taken seriously. Additionally, data will be collected on the race of the perpetrator to determine whether the incidence of sexual harassment varies based on the race of the victim and race of the perpetrator. The planned analysis will include conducting an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), which will show whether differences in the dependent variables (experienced/witnessed SH, reported SH, perceived response) relate to the effect of the independent variables, race of the respondent/victim and race of the perpetrator, while accounting for control variables, including age, sexual orientation, seniority, and industry. The findings will inform future organizational strategies to combat and address SH incidence in the workplace as well as shed light on current racial injustices that converge with sexual power.

Date

10-16-2021

Subject

Industrial and organizational psychology

Document Type

posters

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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The role of race on the prevalence of and perceived response to workplace sexual harassment

Utilizing an intersectional approach to understand the convergence of sexual harassment (SH) and race in the workplace, this study will explore the following research questions: Do people of color experience greater rates of workplace SH, specifically when committed by non-minority perpetrators? Do people of color report and perceive that SH complaints are taken seriously by their organization? Based on the notion of double jeopardy, that various factors of identity have a multiplicative effect on experienced discrimination, it is expected that minority members are more likely to experience SH and less likely to report, and if they report, they will perceive that SH complaints will not be seriously addressed (Berdahl & Moore, 2006). Given that SH has been utilized as a tactic to control and dominate rather than merely motivated by sexual desire, studying it within the workplace framework will reveal underlying power structures embedded within organizations. It is hypothesized that minority victims experience more SH than non-minority victims (H1) and that non-minority perpetrators commit more SH than minority perpetrators (H2). Non-minority perpetrators engage in more SH compared to minority perpetrators against minority victims compared to non-minority victims (H3). Additionally, minority victims are less likely to report incidences of SH compared to non-minority victims (H4) and minority victims perceive that their complaints of SH are taken less seriously compared to non-minority victims (H5). A survey will be administered via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to attain a large and diverse sample. Measures will include established surveys, such as the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ), and survey items created specifically for this study. Respondents will be asked about experienced/witnessed incidents of SH, and whether SH incidents were reported and perceived to be taken seriously. Additionally, data will be collected on the race of the perpetrator to determine whether the incidence of sexual harassment varies based on the race of the victim and race of the perpetrator. The planned analysis will include conducting an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), which will show whether differences in the dependent variables (experienced/witnessed SH, reported SH, perceived response) relate to the effect of the independent variables, race of the respondent/victim and race of the perpetrator, while accounting for control variables, including age, sexual orientation, seniority, and industry. The findings will inform future organizational strategies to combat and address SH incidence in the workplace as well as shed light on current racial injustices that converge with sexual power.