title: Still stable after all these years: perceptions of sexual harassment in academic contexts.
abstract: This research examined perceptions of sexual harassment in academic contexts using data sets collected in 1990 (Time 1) and 2000 (Time 2). We assessed the influence of two individual variables--gender and gender role--and one contextual variable--power of the harasser--on perceptions of harassment. When the harasser was a higher-power individual, participants perceived more vignettes as examples of sexual harassment, viewed female targets more positively, and evaluated male harassers more negatively. Contrary to prediction, participants viewed male harassers less negatively at Time 2 than at Time 1. Despite increased media attention and educational interventions, comparisons to the earlier findings highlight remarkable stability in perceptions of harassment over time.
authors.affiliation: Suffolk University, Psychology Department, 41 Temple St., Boston, MA 02114, USA. kbursik@suffolk.edu
authors.forename: Krisanne
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bursik
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gefter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D011209:Power, Psychological; D017406:Sexual Harassment; D012922:Social Change; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult