Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Sexual Harassment of Health Care Employees: A Turkish Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine differences in sexual harassment attitudes between male and female labor force in health care organizations. A total of 571 employees working in various health care organizations in Turkey participated in the study. Sexual harassment was measured using 22 items and three-factor structure with constructs “Provocative Behavior,” “Normal Flirtations,” and “Trivial Matter” developed by Turgut. The data were collected using percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation, independent sample t tests, and multivariate analysis of variance and covariance (MANOVA and MANCOVA). The results of the study revealed that a significant gender difference exists in sexual harassment attitudes with respect to “Provocative Behavior” and “Normal Flirtations” factors, while “Trivial Matter” factor was not statistically significant at the probability level of .05 as part of the sexual harassment scale. After controlling for variables such as age, marital status, monthly income level, education level, profession, institution, length of working time in the organization, and length of time in the health care sector; it was seen that most gender differences remained significant.

The Impact of Anti-Sexual Harassment Policies on Sexual Harassment Prevention in the Workplace

“…They overlooked safeguarding provisions, clear reporting channels, and necessary communication to combat current problematic cultural norms. Instead, many of the policies endorsed sexual harassment myths that doubt and blame victims (Exposito et al, 2014;Hardt et al, 2022;Kara & Toygar, 2019;Lonsway et al, 2008). The findings support previous research from the sampled countries that show deeply rooted cultural norms that normalize sexual harassment and violence (Bowman & Brundige, 2013;Chireshe & Chireshe, 2009;Duma et al, 2016;Kampyongo et al, 2017;Kebirungi, 2021;Links, 2012;Machisa & van Dorp, 2012;Muasya, 2014;Newman et al, 2011;Nyaga, 2020;Wangusi et al, 2018;Wamoyi et al, 2022).…”

“…Organizational communication and training must also consider how policies are situated in complex cultural norms and power structures, which often victim blame, protect the perpetrator, and present insurmountable challenges of "proving" oneself to be believed (Fraser, 2015). The false, but widely held beliefs about sexual harassment have been labelled as sexual harassment myths, which include the person was asking for it, they're lying, the perpetrator didn't mean to, and it's the victim's responsibility to stop the harassment (Exposito et al, 2014;Kara & Toygar, 2019;Lonsway et al, 2008).…”

Sexual workplace violence in the health sector in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study

“…El-Gilany et al [ 19 ] and Wang et al [ 25 ] found no sex differences between survivors, while Alharbi et al [ 13 ] observed a non-significant difference. In contrast to female workers, male workers may normalize sexual violence in the workplace because they perceive some situations as more sexually oriented than their female counterparts [ 37 ]; this may account for the low reporting rates among male survivors. Torre et al [ 38 ] also found no sex differences.…”

Association Between Sexual Harassment Intervention Strategies and the Sexual Harassment Perception and Attitude of University Students in Beijing, China

“…An individual’s attitude toward sexual harassment, a key variable in campus circumstances, influences the likelihood of committing sexual harassment as well as an individual’s response strategies in the event of sexual harassment. Gender is the most important factor in predicting students’ attitudes toward sexual harassment (Kara & Toygar, 2019; Kenig & Ryan, 1986). Women are usually less tolerant of sexual harassment than men.…”