Sexual harassment is associated with negative consequences for victims and
bystanders. Because 9 in 10 victims do not report harassment, understanding bystanders'
reactions to sexual harassment is important. Thus, my dissertation?s purpose was to
advance the literature by analyzing bystanders' responses to sexual harassment by means
of three studies.
In Study 1, I examined bystanders' preferred punishment as a function of the
harassment type and organizational culture. Participants were undergraduates (N=107)
enrolled in physical activity classes at a Southwestern United States university (males
n=53, 50%, females n=53, 50%; largely Caucasian n=79, 74.5%; age M=21.61,
SD=2.70). The results indicate that harassment type affected bystanders' punishment
preferences (B=.55, p<0.01). While the workplace culture did not directly affect
punishment preferences (B=-.06, p=0.49), it moderated the relationship between
harassment type and preferred punishment (R2=.03, B=.31, p<0.05) such that quid-proquo
harassment in proactive organizations resulted in the harshest punishment
recommendations. In Study 2, I analyzed bystanders' reactions to different punishment levels
delivered to the harasser. Participants were undergraduates (N=122) enrolled in activity
classes at a Southwestern United States university (males n=68, 56.2%, females n=53,
43.8%; largely Caucasian n=94, 77.7%; age M=20.00, SD=2.00). The results revealed
that congruity, or lack thereof, between their preferred punishment and the actual
punishment affected their negative emotions (R2=0.04, B=-0.30, p<0.01), organizational
justice perceptions (R2=0.11, B=0.47, p<0.01), and cultural consistency beliefs
(R2=0.02, B=0.19, p<0.05).
In Study 3, I investigated bystanders? responses to different harassment levels as
influenced by the organizational culture. Participants were undergraduates (N=183)
enrolled in activity classes at a Southwestern United States university (males n=113,
61.7%, females n=66, 36.1%; largely Caucasian n=132, 72.1%; age M=19.84, SD=1.37).
The results indicated that the harassment severity was positively associated with
bystanders' intentions to intervene (B=.32, p<0.001). The type of organizational culture
did not affect willingness to act (B=-.07, p=0.32), possibly given the personal investment
required by taking action. Alternatively, personal characteristics (i.e., political views)
may supersede environmental influences. Collectively, these findings reiterate literature
documenting harassment types? differential severity. Also, they outline additional
advantages to promoting a proactive organizational culture. Finally, the influence of
individual and environmental factors in decision making is highlighted.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-05-509 |
| Date | 2009 May 1900 |
| Creators | Benavides Espinoza, Claudia |
| Contributors | Cunningham, George B. |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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