SEXUAL HARASSMENT BEHAVIORS AND WORK-RELATED PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES

This study examined the impact of sexual harassment behaviors on work related perceptions and attitudes. Sexual harassment was operationalized as the extent to which employees of a midwestern state agency (N = 718) experienced a variety of sexually harassing behaviors by supervisors or by co-workers. Results for both men and women showed that experiencing behaviors commonly regarded as sexually harassing was related to perceptions of being sexually harassed and to work related attitudes. Supervisor sexual harassment behavior was related to most of the work related attitudes measured; co-worker sexual harassment behavior was related to three work related attitudes for females and none for males. In light of possible sex differences, research including both male and female reactions to sexual harassment is recommended. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.