Sexual harassment in the workplace: a feminist analysis of recent developments in the UK

Samuels, Harriet

doi:10.1016/s0277-5395(03)00106-7

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, even when various control variables were taken into account, respondents' sexist views of women proved among the most influential variable on perceptions of SH (Table 2), but not when all the offenses were taken into account (Table 3). These findings support the inclusion of SH as an example of male-against-female offenses (see Samuels 2003Samuels , 2004.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…But it has also been also argued that feminist advocates must still continue the struggle, and challenge the sexual nature of law and policies; widen the definition of SH in them to other non-sexual, but harassing behaviors; persuade the courts and organizations to adopt their analysis of the law on SH; establish women's perspectives as the formal basis for judgments of the occurrence of SH; and ensure that women's voices are heard in trials and complaints procedures (Samuels 2003). In sum, feminists have to convince policymakers and organizational authorities that in most instances SH is not about individualized bad behavior, but is constituted within broader cultural values and power relationships, especially those operating around gender and sexuality (Rimalt 2005;Samuels 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Feminist theory holds that such violence (including SH) needs to be seen in the light of both the broader social context of structural inequality and power relations between the sexes, and culturally masculinist systems in the workplace and in society (Samuels 2003). Accordingly, this male violence against women needs to be seen as one of the main social manifestations of the traditionally patriarchal system and ideology of social gender relations, which have created and maintained, historically and crossculturally, male domination of women in society.…”

Section: The Feminist Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As for rape cases, the burden of proof falls on the female plaintiffs, who in order not to have their claim dismissed are expected by judges and juries to react to SH in assertive, "appropriate" ways. According to some researchers (e.g., Rimalt 2005;Samuels 2003Samuels , 2004Stockdale et al 2002), the inability of the judges to adopt a "womancentered point of view" and their lack of sympathy for the female applicant are clear evidence of the privileging of the male view. They argue that instead of the individual reference of SH, the law should go farther and refer to SH as group-based discrimination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public Perceptions of Sexual Harassment: An Empirical Analysis in Israel from Consensus and Feminist Theoretical Perspectives

Herzog

2007

Sex Roles

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Sexual harassment (SH) includes men as harassers and women as victims. It is defined in many Western countries as a criminal offense. However, the social response to SH may be characterized by clear leniency toward harassers. The present study investigated the roots of such response. Respondents from a large, representative, random, Israeli sample (630) were asked to evaluate hypothetical short crime scenarios, constructed by the factorial-survey approach, representing cases of sexual harassment and other offenses. The study hypothesized that respondents' perceptions of SH scenarios will be affected significantly by their gender-role attitudes to women. The findings indicate that such criminal acts are perceived as serious by the whole public, challenging the consensual basis of the lenient approach to harassers. Keywords Sexual harrassment . Seriousness perceptions . IsraelAlthough crime seriousness studies have consistently shown that the public at large perceives sexual offenses as serious offenses, it is not yet clear whether the lay public shares the belief that sexual harassment (henceforth SH) should be considered a criminal offense at all and, if so, whether it is more, equally, or less serious than other unlawful acts. Pursuant to the consensus model of the criminal law, the goal of this study was to assess public perceptions regarding the seriousness of SH and to compare these perceptions with the perceived seriousness of other typical criminal offenses. In this way the present study attempted to examine empirically whether the recent inclusion of this offense in the Israeli law corresponds to the criteria applied by the Israeli public in assessing the seriousness of SH cases. To this end, Israeli respondents were asked to evaluate subjectively the seriousness of, and also to suggest the most appropriate penal measure, for a collection of hypothetical, concrete crime scenarios, entailing both SH, and many other types of offenses. Operationally, unlike other studies conducted on SH in Israel (see Rimalt 2005;Zeira et al. 2002), the research goal of the present study was to assess empirically whether significant differences in the seriousness scores and punishment options assigned to the scenarios would be found between SH and several other forms of offenses.In this study the factorial-design methodology was applied. This technique uses multidimensional hypothetical scenarios presented in a form that combines the benefits of controlled, randomized experimental designs and conventional surveys (see Rossi and Anderson 1982). By this technique, the scenarios used here were created (before the survey was conducted) by randomly selecting values (levels) from each of several variables (dimensions; one level per dimension per scenario) until each dimension was represented and a complete scenario was formed (for details of this study's dimensions and values, see Appendix 1). Although ideally we would have liked to gather as much information as possible from each respondent, the decisions regarding the number of v...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Feminist Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public Perceptions of Sexual Harassment: An Empirical Analysis in Israel from Consensus and Feminist Theoretical Perspectives

Herzog

2007

Sex Roles

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“…In attempting to reconcile the power model of SH with studies suggesting that co-workers are commonly identified as harassers (e.g. AHRC, 2012), Samuels (2003) has argued that a feminist perspective views power not as an unmediated force but as an amalgam of ideological influences both within and outside the workplace, rendering women, even if in more senior positions, more vulnerable (see also Wajcman, 1998).…”

Section: Workplace Sexual Harassment: Explanatory Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workplace sexual harassment at the margins

McDonald

Charlesworth

2015

Work, Employment and Society

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Men are overwhelmingly responsible for sexual harassment against women in the workplace. However, the literature also points to less typical manifestations, including sexual harassment by men of other men and by women of men or other women. This article examines these atypical forms of sexual harassment, drawing on a census of all formal sexual harassment complaints lodged with Australian equal opportunity commissions over a six-month period. The analysis reveals some important distinctions and similarities across groups of atypical complaints, as well as between atypical groups and 'classic' sexual harassment complaints where men harass women. The article contributes to the relatively undeveloped literature on these less visible forms of sexual harassment and highlights both theoretical and pragmatic challenges in better understanding workplace sexual harassment 'at the margins'.

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Drawing boundaries: Exploring the relationship between sexual harassment, gender and bullying

Jones

2006

Women's Studies International Forum

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Sexual harassment in the workplace: a feminist analysis of recent developments in the UK

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Public Perceptions of Sexual Harassment: An Empirical Analysis in Israel from Consensus and Feminist Theoretical Perspectives

Public Perceptions of Sexual Harassment: An Empirical Analysis in Israel from Consensus and Feminist Theoretical Perspectives

Workplace sexual harassment at the margins

Drawing boundaries: Exploring the relationship between sexual harassment, gender and bullying

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