Examining Workplace Sexual Harassment: A Detailed Literature Review

This literature review explores various aspects of sexual harassment at the workplace by analyzing four different research papers. The first paper investigates the impact of sexual harassment on employee turnover intentions, particularly in the educational sector of Pakistan, using statistical data and the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ). The second paper examines sexual assault and harassment within the US military, utilizing data from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study (RMWS) to highlight the prevalence of these issues. The third paper shifts focus to sexual harassment against men, considering the roles of feminist activism, sexuality, and organizational context. Finally, the fourth paper proposes effective prevention and response strategies for workplace sexual harassment, building a framework for intervention at different stages. The review concludes by highlighting the strengths and limitations of each study, providing a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape on sexual harassment at work.

Running head: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK
Sexual Harassment at Work
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Salman, M., Abdullah, F., & Saleem, A. (2016). Sexual harassment at workplace and its
impact on employee turnover intentions. Business & Economic Review, 8(1), 87-102.
This paper analyses in particular the impact of sexual harassment on employee turnover.
It tries to establish a relation between the two variables. It specifically considers the educational
sector and carries out an in depth statistical analysis. After presenting an elaborate and
meticulous research, the paper provides recommendations so that the cases of sexual harassment
can be reduced and efficiency and employee retention can be improved. The paper puts forth the
problems Pakistani women have been facing in the past and the problems they are now facing in
the transitional process from being dominated by men to becoming more practical.
As the paper considers proper statistical data and uses primary data collected by using the
most efficient instrument which is Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ), the results are
appropriate and the recommendations based on those are valid. The paper also considers the
point of view of both males and females for this issue, so that the scope of research is broadened.
However, it is noticed that the data analyzed consists of a sample size consisting of only 126
people, and so the results and recommendations cannot be applied to a large population and
considering a larger sample would make the research more robust.
Morral, A. R., Gore, K. L., & Schell, T. L. (2015). Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in
the US Military. Volume 2. Estimates for Department of Defense Service Members from the
2014 RAND Military Workplace Study. RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST
SANTA MONICA CA.
This paper analyses the scenario of sexual harassment that prevails in the working class
of the United States military members. It considers a reiteration of the research conducted in

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2014 of the RAND Military Workplace Study (RMWS). It uses a more detailed approach using
easier questions, it makes sure of including events that happened only in the year 2014-15 and
considers cases that are up to the legal mark of sexual harassment. The paper sheds light on the
intensity of those cases by using empirical data and evidences in some cases.
The paper highlights a very important sector, where sexual harassment prevails due to the
tough conditions and circumstances at work. Being specific to the military sector, it helps gain
perspective of the sexual harassment cases which are part of the public sector and not the usual
corporate sector. It uses rigorous statistical data and analyses a wide sample consisting of
responses from around 560,000 members who provide services in the US military. As it depicts
the percentage of population who faced sexual harassment at work in the past one year it
provides accurate information. However the recommendations provided are traditional and the
policies prescribed will not be put to effect immediately.
Holland, K. J., Rabelo, V. C., Gustafson, A. M., Seabrook, R. C., & Cortina, L. M. (2016).
Sexual harassment against men: Examining the roles of feminist activism, sexuality, and
organizational context. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 17(1), 17.
This paper specifically takes into account the sexual harassment cases of working men.
The study does not only include physical exertion but also derogatory comments passed. The
study takes firms where employees get associated with feminist activities , where being a part of
a sexual minority counts for and where sexual harassment towards men is also catered to. This
paper also brings to light how these sexually harassed men are psychologically affected and how
their job satisfaction reduces because of these unhealthy experiences.

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This paper again plays an important role in this study as it shifts focus from women to
men and pays greater attention to the sexual minority and uses sexual orientation as a predictor.
It asserts that supporting feminism and working in an organization which tolerates sexual
harassment toward men causes men to be more prone to be experiencing sexual harassment. The
study claims that even in this generation, sexual harassment is meted out to men whose
perspective of masculinity differs from the traditional and orthodox beliefs of masculinity.
However, the sample size of the responses collected for every question is very small of about
326 men, so the results can vary when applied to a bigger population.
McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S., & Graham, T. (2015). Developing a framework of
effective prevention and response strategies in workplace sexual harassment. Asia Pacific
Journal of Human Resources, 53(1), 41-58.
The last paper chosen for this study prescribes effective strategies that if put into force
will help reduce this problem. The study uses functioning and timing techniques to formulate and
implement preventive strategies at worplaces. It effectively builds a framework to prevent such
activities at work places. It reflects how the quality of work and mental stability of the
employees gets hampered because of this problem.
Unlike the other papers mentioned above which focus on the problem and sheds light on
the same problem from different perspectives, this paper provides the cure. It establishes
techniques which when integrated forms a framework that if followed might help in reducing
sexual harassment and even cure people who have already been exposed to this issue. It also
highlights areas on which further research can be done. It segregates the three types of
interventions that can be used to deal with the problem, before the situation has arrived,

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immediately after the harassment has occurred and long after it has occurred. The three sections
highlight measures and describe examples based on earlier researches. However, this paper uses
only secondary data for the most part and hence is not robust enough.

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Bibliography:
Holland, K. J., Rabelo, V. C., Gustafson, A. M., Seabrook, R. C., & Cortina, L. M. (2016).
Sexual harassment against men: Examining the roles of feminist activism, sexuality, and
organizational context. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 17(1), 17.
McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S., & Graham, T. (2015). Developing a framework of effective
prevention and response strategies in workplace sexual harassment. Asia Pacific Journal
of Human Resources, 53(1), 41-58.
Morral, A. R., Gore, K. L., & Schell, T. L. (2015). Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the
US Military. Volume 2. Estimates for Department of Defense Service Members from the
2014 RAND Military Workplace Study. RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH
INST SANTA MONICA CA.
Salman, M., Abdullah, F., & Saleem, A. (2016). Sexual harassment at workplace and its impact
on employee turnover intentions. Business & Economic Review, 8(1), 87-102.

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