PSYO 380 Lecture 5: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault
6 Jun 2018
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Lecture 5
An overview of the literature on sexual harassment
• Term sexual harassment arose in the 1970s
• Definitional questions that remain
o What specific behaviours are sexual harassment?
▪ E.g. wolf whistle in public
o Does only the victim have to suffer negative consequences?
o Is sexual harassment a form of sexism?
▪ Gender harassment is the larger issue
▪ In media: female being harassed is dramatic vs. male being harassed is
given a funny tone and not taken as seriously which changes the way
men interpret it for themselves
Sexual Harassment in the media
• Sexual harassment of the female is serious
• Sexual harassment of the male is treated humorously
o Friends do not support him
• Sexist remarks stated as jokes decrease perceptions of the speaker as sexist
o Decrease the likelihood of the women confronting
o Tolerance to sexism increases
• Gender differential treatment of sexual harassment
o Impacts view of male victims
• Sexual Harassment has an equally negative impact on men and women
o Perception that women suffer more
o Minimization of male suffering
o Perpetrators treated more leniently
Sexual Harassment and the Media
• Sexually objectifying materials influences how sexual harassment towards women is
perceived
o Increases victim blame
• Self-objectification leads to more permissive attitudes towards sexual harassment
• No changes in view of perpetrator
Rise of the #METOO campaign
• Impacted many powerful men
o “Weinstein effect”
#METOO Campaign Backlash
• Sudden growth of reporting
o Difference between sexual harassment/assault and inappropriate conduct?
• Concerns peaked with Shitty Media Men List
o Live spreadsheet to anonymously submit rumours or warning about perpetrators
o Meant to be private, became public
o Lack of confirmation and due process
Sexual Harassment Intervention
• What can be done?
o Prevalent issue in modern society
• Training provided in private sector
• Academic institutions have complaint process
• Lack of program evaluation or identification of other factors to change
o E.g. organizational structure, abuse of power
Sexual Assault Statistics
• In the class (based on clicker poll): 80% knew someone (other or themselves) who have
been sexually assaulted.
• General Social Survey
o 635,000 incidents of sexual assault in 2014
o 87% victims were women
• Police Reported
o 118,000 reported sexual assault from 2009-2014
o 1 in 20 people go and report
• Common reasons for not reporting
o Crime was minor and not worth reporting (71%)
o Handled informally (67%)
o No one was harmed (63%)
o Don’t want to deal with the police (45%)
o Police wouldn’t have considered it important (43%)
o Offender wouldn’t be convicted or adequately punished (40%)
Police Perceptions of Rape (R7)
• Police officers engage in victim blaming
o In some studies, this occurred at a low level
o If perpetrator was intoxicated, it didn’t matter
o Friends, acquaintances, etc. [relationship] was looked at more rather than the
actual assault
o Male victims attributed more blame than female victims
o Victim is more to blame if they engaged in a positive way (flirting, being friendly,
etc.)
• High or medium endorsement of rape myths
o Male officers are more likely to blame victims
• Low Endorsement of rape myths
o Female officers are more likely to blame victims
• Inconsistent across studies
o Methodological concerns–replication
Rape Myths
• Two types of rape myths
o Situational and Attitudinal
o Rape vs. Sexual Assault
o Situational myths refer to the misconception about the crime itself
Document Summary
Is sexual harassment a form of sexism: gender harassment is the larger issue. In media: female being harassed is dramatic vs. male being harassed is given a funny tone and not taken as seriously which changes the way men interpret it for themselves. Impacts view of male victims: sexual harassment has an equally negative impact on men and women, perception that women suffer more, minimization of male suffering, perpetrators treated more leniently. Sexual harassment and the media: sexually objectifying materials influences how sexual harassment towards women is perceived. Increases victim blame: self-objectification leads to more permissive attitudes towards sexual harassment, no changes in view of perpetrator. Police perceptions of rape (r7: police officers engage in victim blaming. In some studies, this occurred at a low level. If perpetrator was intoxicated, it didn"t matter: friends, acquaintances, etc. Rape myths: two types of rape myths, situational and attitudinal, rape vs.
