INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES FACTORS AFFECTING WORKPLCE SEXUAL HARASSMENT PERCEPTIONS

Tez Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Psikoloji (Yl) (Tezli), Türkiye

Tez Danışmanı: Hayriye Canan Sümer

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2003

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Özet:

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of

individual differences on Sexual Harassment (SH) perceptions at the workplace.

Specifically, the effects of attitudes toward women’s gender roles and personality

attributes (i.e., self-esteem and emotional affectivity) on SH perceptions were

examined. Another purpose of the study was to explore the stereotype domains of

sexual harassers and to compare it with those of managers.

A preliminary study was conducted by interviewing 56 Turkish working

women. Based on the content analyses of the responses, a measure of social-sexual

behavior manifestations relevant to the Turkish culture and a measure of harasser

stereotypes were developed. In the main study, the social-sexual behavior measure

was used to assess harassment perceptions and experiences of women, the stereotype

measure was used to explore the nature of harasser and manager stereotypes.

A total of 353 women employed in various organizations participated in the

main study. Social-sexual behavior items based on sexual harassment perceptions

yielded six factors (i.e., unwanted personal attention, verbal sexual attention, sexist

hostility, physical sexual assault, insinuation of interest, and sexual bribery and

sexual coercion). Each factor was regressed on the individual differences variables.

Negative affectivity predicted perceptions of unwanted personal attention, verbal

sexual attention, and sexist hostility type of behaviors. Attitudes toward women’s

gender roles predicted physical sexual assault and sexual bribery-sexual coercion

type of behaviors. Self-esteem was found to predict all sexual harassment factors,

except sexist hostility.

Women’s stereotypes towards harassers were found to be significantly

different from their stereotypes towards managers, except one domain, which was

dominancy. Cluster analysis suggested three different profiles of stereotypes towards

harassers, and three different profiles of stereotypes towards managers. Women

having stereotypes of negative or negative and powerful harassers perceived

significantly more sexual harassment than those with ambivalent stereotypes towards

harassers.