Managing Sexual Joking in Manufacturing Organizations: Harassment or Humor?

Abstract

Although humor is a relatively common communication interaction, it has multiple functions. This article examines the discourse about sexual harassment and humor using the tension-centered approach. Using data from 20 in-depth interviews of men and women working in manufacturing, I explored themes about the use of humor, sexual harassment, and organizational tension. Analyzing the data within the tension-centered approach revealed strategies male participants used to manage sexual joking in highly masculine work environments with women present. Results indicated that the male participants reinforced the notion that manufacturing is male space by using humor and used exclusion and regendering to manage the tension that arose during exchanges of particularly crude sexual joking. Implications for the workplace and sexual harassment are discussed.

Keywords:

• Gender
• humor
• reframing
• regendered
• sexual harassment
• space
• tension centered

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Lynn Turner, Dr. Jennifer Kontny, the editor, and the peer reviewers for their gracious assistance in providing feedback and suggestions for this article.