Abstract
The present study examined the relationships between experiences of working in sexually objectifying restaurants and job-related outcomes in a sample of 313 waitresses working in restaurants located in the United States. In addition, we investigated the potential mediating roles of unwanted sexual advances, power, and support in these links. Supporting our hypotheses, results indicated that sexually objectifying restaurants were positively correlated with waitresses’ feelings of burnout and intentions to leave their job. Our findings also supported a theorized multiple mediation model in which higher levels of sexually objectifying restaurants were related to more unwanted sexual advances, lower levels of personal power and control in the work environment, less organizational support, and lower levels of coworker support, which in turn were related to more feelings of burnout. Contrary to our hypotheses, gendered structural/organizational power did not mediate the sexually objectifying restaurants → burnout link. In addition, our findings also revealed that personal power and control, organizational support, and coworker support (but not unwanted sexual advances or structural/organizational power) mediated the link between sexually objectifying restaurants and intention to leave.
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Szymanski, D.M., Mikorski, R. Sexually Objectifying Restaurants and Waitresses’ Burnout and Intentions to Leave: The Roles of Power and Support. Sex Roles 75, 328–338 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0621-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0621-2