Perceptions of sexual harassment and its manifestations in the workplace : impact of gender

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Psychology students at the University of Malta students with regards to sexual harassment in relation to gender. My interest in conducting this research stemmed from the assumed rise in equality of genders in today’s society. Therefore, whether the gender of the perpetrator and the gender of the victim made a difference in the perception of sexual harassment was tested. In other words, whether there was bias in the perception of students in relation to gender differences of the perpetrator and victim was the main factor that was tested. A quantitative research method was utilized, in which data was collected from participants through the use of vignettes and a questionnaire with questions using a 5 point Likert Scale. Demographic data such as age; gender; and course undertaken was also collected. A total of eighty University of Malta undergraduate students reading for a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree or a Bachelor of Art degree with Psychology as the subsidiary area, participated. Results indicate that the perception of sexual harassment of students based on gender was statistically non-significant. However, some bias was found to be present in the cohort tested when asked if sexual harassment was present; if the victim felt comfortable; and if the employee may be emotionally affected by the supervisor’s behaviour; statistically significant differences were found. A male-on-female vignette was labelled as overall more sexually harassing, when compared to other versions of the vignette.