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Observers’ Reporting of Sexual Harassment: The Influence of Harassment Type, Organizational Culture, and Political Orientation

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence observers’ reporting of sexual harassment. Participants (N = 183) voluntarily took part in a 2 (harassment type: hostile environment, quid pro quo) × 2 (organizational culture: compliant, proactive) experiment. Results indicate that participants were more likely to respond assertively when observing quid pro quo harassment. Participant political orientation moderated the effects of both harassment type and culture. Persons with a more liberal political persuasion intended to respond assertively in situations where help might not otherwise be rendered (i.e., in compliant organizations and in hostile environment harassment). Contributions and implications are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Organización Deportiva, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Universidad s/n Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, México, C.P. 66451

    Claudia Benavides Espinoza

  2. Laboratory for Diversity in Sport, Texas A&M University, 4243 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4243, USA

    George B. Cunningham

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  1. Claudia Benavides Espinoza
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  2. George B. Cunningham
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Correspondence to Claudia Benavides Espinoza.

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Benavides Espinoza, C., Cunningham, G.B. Observers’ Reporting of Sexual Harassment: The Influence of Harassment Type, Organizational Culture, and Political Orientation. Public Organiz Rev 10, 323–337 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-009-0109-4

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