Sexual harassment, psychological well-being, and job satisfaction of female tour guides: the effects of social and organizational support

Abstract

Drawing on the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), and a gender perspective, this study proposes and tests a conceptual model postulating relationships between sexual harassment, burnout, perceived social and organizational support, psychological well-being, and job satisfaction. A survey of Turkish female tour guides resulted in 221 valid questionnaires. The results reveal that female tour guides’ sexual harassment experience has a negative impact on their job satisfaction and psychological well-being. Unlike perceived social support, perceived organizational support plays a significant and negative role in triggering sexual harassment. The findings also confirm the mediating effects of burnout on the relationship between sexual harassment and job satisfaction as well as the relationship between sexual harassment and psychological well-being. The study contributes to gender equality and sustainability research and offers several practical implications for stakeholders in the travel industry and public policy.

Keywords:

• Sexual harassment
• psychological well-being
• job satisfaction
• social support
• organizational support
• gender equality
• tour guiding

Acknowledgement

This study was partially funded by Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Research Council (Project no: 35290).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).