TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceptions of social-sexual communication at work as sexually harassing
AU - Solomon, Denise Haunani
AU - Williams, Mary Lynn Miller
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - We examined factors that influence observers' assessments of social-sexual messages as sexually harassing. Participants read newsletters describing coworkers and scenarios in which one employee makes a suggestive remark to another. Results indicated that (a) messages conveying sexual interest explicitly were perceived as more harassing than those conveying interest implicitly; (b) explicit sexual interest was rated as more harassing when initiators were unattractive and targets were attractive; (c) males perceived messages as less harassing than females, particularly when initiators were attractive females or sexual interest explicit; and (d) supervisors were rated as more harassing than subordinates, particularly when supervisors were male and sexual interest explicit. The discussion highlights conceptual frameworks that offer insight into how observers diagnose social-sexual comununication at work.
AB - We examined factors that influence observers' assessments of social-sexual messages as sexually harassing. Participants read newsletters describing coworkers and scenarios in which one employee makes a suggestive remark to another. Results indicated that (a) messages conveying sexual interest explicitly were perceived as more harassing than those conveying interest implicitly; (b) explicit sexual interest was rated as more harassing when initiators were unattractive and targets were attractive; (c) males perceived messages as less harassing than females, particularly when initiators were attractive females or sexual interest explicit; and (d) supervisors were rated as more harassing than subordinates, particularly when supervisors were male and sexual interest explicit. The discussion highlights conceptual frameworks that offer insight into how observers diagnose social-sexual comununication at work.
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U2 - 10.1177/0893318997112001
DO - 10.1177/0893318997112001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0009212765
SN - 0893-3189
VL - 11
SP - 147
EP - 184
JO - Management Communication Quarterly
JF - Management Communication Quarterly
IS - 2
ER -