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ABSTRACT
This study examined the influence of observerFootnote1 and harasser gender on perceiving an ambiguous situation as sexual harassment. A total of 417 Israelis were exposed to a screenshot of WhatsApp correspondence identical in its content but for describing a male or female harasser. Using an experimental manipulation, harasser gender was manipulated so that half of the participants were exposed to either a male or female harasser. Next, their perception of the situation as sexual harassment was measured. As hypothesized, we found that women tended to interpret the situation as harassment more often than men. Additionally, as hypothesized, the male character was interpreted more often as sexually harassing. We also found an interaction between observer gender and harasser gender, but not in the expected direction: women tended to judge both male and female harassers severely but relatively equally, whereas men tended to judge only the male harasser severely. These findings imply that men were affected by gender schemas and stereotypes more than were women, whose judgement tended to be more objective. Practically, this means that although much has changed in recent years, including in particular the #MeToo campaign, sexual harassment is still affected by gender schemas and stereotypes and still reflects an unequal gender distribution of power.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. The person who is observing the harassment situation
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Priel Harush
Priel Harush received a B.A in Psychology from Achva Academic College, Israel. Graduating with honours. Priel is currently studying for an M.A degree in Organizational Consulting at The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo (MTA), Israel. Priel works for the Pazy Foundation at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). Research interests include gender in general and especially in the world of organizations.
Sarit Elikishvili
Sarit Elikishvili received a B.A in psychology from Achva College and graduated with honours. Sarit currently works at ‘Etgar’ as a Recruitment Coordinator in the HR department. As part of this role, Sarit works with leading companies in the market in locating suitable candidates for employment. Research interests include the field of gender in organizations, mainly focussing on the effect of gender differences in the work environment.
Oshrit Kaspi-Baruch
Oshrit Kaspi-Baruch received a PhD from the School of Management at Ben Gurion University with a dissertation dealing with career choice in management, has an M.A in Clinical Psychology, and a B.A is in Behavioral Sciences (magna cum laude). Research interests are focused on career, gender, personality, motivation, and creativity. Oshrit is a member of the teaching staff at Achva Academic College and at Ben Gurion University, Israel, delivering courses in career management, organizational behaviour, organizational psychology, and human resource management. Oshrit has a rich experience in occupational psychology, specifically in employee selection.