Reports on the first international study ever done on sexual
harassment in the workplace that shows that it's far more common in the
United States than in Europe or the Soviet Union, and it has negative
effects on both women and their jobs. Studyby James E. Gruber and Kaisa
Kauppinen-Toropainen; Results; Reasons.
By
PT Staff, published on January 01, 1992
Sexual Harassment
If you think there's something about our culture that makes sexual
harassment on the job a red-blooded American male thing, you're right.
The first international study ever done of sexual harassment in the
workplace shows that it's far more common in the United States than in
Europe or the Soviet Union, and it has negative effects on both women and
their jobs.
James E. Gruber, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, and Kaisa
Kauppinen-Toropainen, Ph.D., based at the Finnish Institute of
Occupational Health, interviewed nontraditional female workers in five
countries. They tapped women engineers in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and
the United States; Finnish architects and technicians; American
autoworkers; and technical specialists from the Soviet Union.
A whopping 79% of female autoworkers experienced sexual harassment,
defined as unwanted touching, leaning over, or cornering; sexually
suggestive looks or gestures; sexual teasing, remarks, or questions; and
sexually oriented notes, letters, or posters. Scandinavian professionals
experienced the least harassment (33%), while American engineers endured
nearly twice that amount. Soviet female technical specialists faced much
less harassment than their American blue-collar or engineer
counterparts.
Regardless of country or job, young and unmarried women are moving
targets for harassment. So are those in low-status jobs.
The effects of harassment are not trivial-they increase women's
psychological stress level and lower their job satisfaction. And for some
women, especially blue-collar workers in the United States, they can
diminish self-esteem.
It may be, say the researchers, that American women face more
harassment simply because they are newer on the work scene; Scandinavia
and the Soviet Union have had gender-integrated workplaces a lot longer.
Alternatively, those countries may give women more dignity at work
because they have strong national policies aimed at promoting gender
equality in all facets of life.
PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE)
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