Perceptions of sexual harassment in the workplace: impact of gender, psychological androgyny, and job status

Sexual harassment has serious implications for both the individual and the organization. However, there appears to be confusion among different groups of people as to what behaviors constitute sexual harassment. The present study was designed as an aid in defining sexual harassment and an attempt to discover any differences which may exist between groups in what is considered to be sexual harassment. Perceiving certain behaviors as being sexual harassment appears to be related to several factors, among them gender, job status or power. This study consisted of a 2 (Gender) x 4 (Salary) design. The subjects for the study were 250 non-academic employees of a large state university. The investigator examined differences between groups using a four-part anonymous questionnaire.