SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND PERCEPTIONS OF POWER - AN UNDER-ARTICULATED RELATIONSHIP

A review of current research suggests that the relationships among facets of power and types of sexual harassment are underarticulated. In the present paper, power is presented as a multi-faceted, multi-level construct. Men and women differ both in their use of power and in their perceptions of power and powerlessness. Although power issues in sexual harassment have been discussed largely in the context of supervisory harassment, the current paper describes the power concerns involved in both co-worker and subordinate harassment as well. In order to understand the role of power in sexual harassment, researchers need to consider the level of power, the sources of power, the context of the harassing situation, and the reactions of the harassment victims. Future research may be improved through more specific definitions and measures of both power and sexual harassment. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.