#METOO AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE 1
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 701: Current Topics in Business Administration
Dr. Mark Davis
November 29, 2020
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Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Workplace sexual harassment is a major societal issue, which negatively affects
companies and individuals involved. It is defined as “unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome
request for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person
feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated” (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.).
While human rights advocates have been trying to increase the awareness of the issue for
decades, with the emergence of the #MeToo movement in recent years, it has received a
significantly increased amount of public attention. This paper aims to examine the repercussions
of sexual harassment at work, reporting rates and outcomes, and the impact of #MeToo on public
perception of the problem.
Health and Career Outcomes of Sexual Harassment at Work
Numerous studies on sexual harassment prove that it negatively impacts the physical and
mental state of the employees, as well as their personal relationships. A study of middle-aged
women in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, discovered that sexual misconduct victims had a higher
occurrence of hypertension and clinical insomnia (Thurston et al., 2019). Additionally, the
researchers established that sexual assault targets often suffered from anxiety and clinical
depression (Thurston et al., 2019). Another study discovered that women who endured sexual
harassment at work had a significantly higher probability of having suicidal thoughts and PTSD
symptoms (Hom et al., 2017). Consequently, mental health issues associated with sexual
misconduct can lead to problems in the victims' personal lives. Chinese scholars found that
hospitality sector employees who reported being harassed at work were more likely to exhibit
family undermining behaviors (Zhu et al., 2019). Moreover, their work performance and
relations were also negatively affected (Zhu et al., 2019). Overall, these studies prove that sexual
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misconduct victims can experience significant long-lasting problems in their professional and
personal lives.
The correlation between sexual harassment incidents at work and the career decisions of
the victims is particularly striking. McLaughlin et al. (2017) established that “targets of sexual
harassment were 6.5 times as likely as nontargets to change jobs” (p. 344). Many women prefer
quitting their jobs to reporting sexual misconduct because they do not believe they can change
the order of things or deem it not worthy of an effort. Often they can choose to cut their weekly
hours or accept a less lucrative job offer from another company to avoid dealing with the
inappropriate behavior of their colleagues (McLaughlin et al., 2017). In the sciences, women are
forced to leave research projects, change their field, or decline promotions to avoid working with
the offender (Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2018). The research shows that while most
women start to earn more during young adulthood, earnings of harassment targets tend to stall or
decline (McLaughlin et al., 2017). Hence, such experiences can negatively influence victims’
career opportunities and outcomes.
Besides having a significant impact on individuals’ lives, sexual misconduct cases can
lead to serious losses for organizations. According to the U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board
(2018) report, the employees who have to deal with sexual harassment are less productive and
tend to take sick leave more often. Moreover, companies can face mounting expenses because of
legal costs and increased employee turnover associated with the issue (Institute for Women’s
Policy Research, 2018). Therefore, implementing effective sexual harassment prevention policies
could prove to be highly beneficial for most businesses.
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Sexual Harassment in the Military
The Department of Defense continues to address sexual assault comprehensively. The
Department’s approach focuses on prevention by addressing problematic culture and preparing
leaders at all levels to promote healthy unit climates. In addition, the Sexual Assault Prevention
and Response Program (SAPR) offers reporting options, including confidential venues, that
respect victims’ individual situations and desired approach to recovery.
Recent research suggests that in 2018 the U.S. as a whole experienced an upward trend in
sexual violence victimization. As a result, findings from last year’s 2018 WGRA may reflect this
general increase in sexual violence in the country. However, the Department must continue to
hold itself to a higher standard of behavior.
Sexual Assault Reporting in the Military
The Department of Defense encourages greater reporting to drive more help-seeking by
service members and hold alleged offenders appropriately accountable. The number of sexual as-
sault reports by Service members increased by 3 percent in Fiscal Year 2019, compared to Fiscal
Year 2018. The services received 6,236 reports in Fiscal Year 2019 from service members indi-
cating they experienced a sexual assault, up from 6,053 in Fiscal Year 2018. (see Exhibit 1).
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The Military Services received a total of 7,825 reports of sexual assault involving service
members as either victims or subjects, a 3 percent increase from the 7,623 reports received in
Fiscal Year 2018. In addition to the 6,236 service member reports described previously, the
Department received 937 reports from United States civilians and foreign nationals who alleged
a sexual assault by a Service member, and 652 reports from Service members who sought
assistance for a sexual assault that occurred prior to military Service.
“In August 2019, the Department launched CATCH, allowing Service members making
Restricted Reports to confidentially provide information about the alleged offender and incident.
If investigators discover a potential match to other reported incidents, members are notified and
provided an opportunity to convert their report from Restricted to Unrestricted and participate in
the military justice processes. Since launch of the program in August 2019, and through the time
of this report’s publication in April 2020, there have been 239 victim reports in the CATCH
program and 5 matches”. Department of Defense (2019). This program serves to address service
member victims’ desire for confidentiality while allowing the potential for justice system partici-
pation. To encourage ongoing participation in CATCH, the Department will review and update
its procedures as needed.
Sexual Harassment in the Military Remains a Gray Area
In 2019 This year, OPA conducted 61 focus groups at eight installations throughout the
continental United States in the fall of 2019. A total of 493 active duty Service members and
SAPR/SHARP responder staff participated in the 2019 focus groups. These groups targeted feed-
back from young Service members and, for the first time, included first responders. Using a fo-
cus group guide and protocol, moderators led the discussions, which covered topics about work-
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place culture, locations where Service members are at increased risk of sexual assault and/or sex-
ual harassment, and insights on how service leadership can better support sexual assault preven-
tion efforts.
This year’s focus group feedback indicates that Service members continue to struggle to
fully define what constitutes sexual harassment. Participants stated that sexual harassment is
perception-based, and that male and female Service members define sexual harassment differ-
ently. When sexual harassment occurs, participants perceived that these offensive behaviors are
not always confronted or addressed. Service members suggest that this reaction may be attributed
to not wanting to jeopardize the career of a higher ranking or better performing service member.
Participants expressed an understanding that tolerance of sexual harassment and other inappro-
priate behavior within units diminishes peers’ trust in each other and may increase risk for sexual
assault.
Sexual Misconduct Reporting Issues
However, management sometimes lacks the motivation to address the problems because
they fail to recognize the scale of the issue. As previously noted, the victims often refrain from
reporting the perpetrator due to different factors. In the Australian study, respondents cited fear
of missing out on career opportunities, lack of knowledge about the reporting process, peer
pressure, and emotional disengagement as the reasons for not reporting sexual misconduct
(Llewelyn et al., 2019). Foster and Fullagar (2018) add that some might be reluctant to submit a
formal report if they are unsure that the harasser is punished. Their concerns are justified, as
management can be unwilling to take action against the perpetrator in many cases.
Indeed, the research shows that organizations often fail to react appropriately to reports of
sexual misconduct. According to the U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board (2008) report, only
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8% of the workers who informed their management about the incidents indicated that the
harasser was punished. Victims often face dismissive or blaming responses from the senior staff,
telling them that they should be less sensitive or that they are somehow responsible for the
incident (Llewelyn et al., 2019). In some cases, respondents indicate that their manager fails to
find time to address their issue, or the solutions suggested are inadequate (Llewelyn et al., 2019).
Overall, the research shows that a lack of support and unclear policies can largely discourage
victims of sexual harassment from reporting the incidents.
Impact of the #MeToo movement
The scholars believe that self-esteem also plays a pivotal role in the decision to report the
harasser. Foster and Fullagar (2018) found that many victims who did not report sexual
misconduct were worried about protecting their reputation. #MeToo movement encouraged
many of them to overcome their fear and go public with their stories. Is often praised for raising
awareness about the issue and exposing the scope of the problem. According to Levy and
Mattsson (2020), “awareness can affect behavior by decreasing the stigma associated with
reporting, by allowing individuals to coordinate and provide corroborating evidence, or by
aggregating information and encouraging people to report as a form of protest” (p. 25). Indeed,
the number of sexual misconduct reports has increased significantly after the movement's
breakthrough in 2017. In Canada, officials witnessed a 65% surge in reported sexual assaults in
business relationships during the last months of 2017 (Rotenberg & Cotter, 2018). While
#MeToo has largely unearthed the issue for the general public and empowered many victims to
speak out, the critics of the movement note that it has failed to adequately address the problem in
its entirety.
Despite #MeToo being generally perceived as a social media phenomenon, the influence
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of traditional media sources on public opinion should not be underestimated. With the majority
of the coverage being positive, the researchers pointed at several disturbing trends, which could
undermine the activists' efforts. For instance, De Benedictis et al. (2019) note that the British
newspapers focused on fashion and entertainment industries, while the fields most affected by
the issue, such as hospitality, have barely received any attention. In other words, the main
problem of the media coverage was that it failed the present workplace sexual harassment as a
systematic societal issue, focusing on sensationalizing individual celebrity stories instead.
Other researchers state that #MeToo has narrowed the public perception of the problem
to quid pro quo type of harassment, which accounts only for a small percentage of all cases. In
the Norwegian study, researchers discovered “a bias toward prototypical types of sexual
harassment, as people perceive these more as sexual harassments compared to less prototypical
but equally harmful types” (Kessler et al., 2020, p. 1271). Hence, many people do not consider
toxic environment in the workplace a serious issue. According to Jacobson and Eaton (2018),
“observers of quid-pro-quo harassment are more likely to respond assertively than observers of
hostile environment harassment” (p. 48). Overall, the research shows that while raising
awareness is crucial to start a public discussion, a holistic, scientific approach is required to
adequately address the issue in its complexity.
Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
A significant amount of studies in the past years focused on finding the most efficient
sexual harassment prevention methods. While most US companies have anti-harassment policies,
underreporting remains a serious issue (Zugelder et al., 2018). Several studies have found that a
zero-tolerance policy, as opposed to a standard one, increases the chances of less severe incidents
being reported by bystanders (Jacobson and Eaton, 2018). Numerous researchers also emphasize
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the importance of reviewing ineffective harassment prevention training programs at
organizations. Zugelder et al. (2018) state that most of these programs are designed to prevent
liability rather than incidents. The researchers believe that training should be conducted in
groups and include employees of all levels (Zugelder et al., 2018; Foster & Fullagar, 2018). Each
worker should perform an individual analysis of different scenarios and discuss it in a group to
increase awareness and understanding of inappropriate behavioral patterns (Zugelder et al.,
2018). Overall, a zero-tolerance policy and proper anti-harassment training are considered some
of the most effective tools in reducing sexual misconduct in the workplace.
Suggestions for Further Research
While increased public attention to the issue has spurred many research projects in the
field in recent years, some aspects have received a limited amount of attention so far. Most
studies focus on female victims because they become targets of sexual misconduct more often.
However, male workers also suffer from harassment, and while some of the studies include male
participants, the sample sizes are usually very small and unreliable. The field could also benefit
from increasing the number of studies on sexual aggression towards the most vulnerable groups
such as LGBTQ+, racial minorities, people with disabilities, and so forth. Another possible
direction for future research is the analysis of harassment prevention training effectiveness. In
light of the #MeToo movement, many companies reconsidered their policies and training
programs. It is essential to examine the effect of these changes to determine the most effective
methods and update the recommendations for the organizations accordingly.
Conclusion
Sexual harassment in the workplace negatively affects individuals' health and career
outcomes and significantly increases employers’ expenses. #MeToo movement exposed the real
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scope of the issue and forced many organizations to reconsider their policies. However, despite
the changes in corporate culture, studies suggest that the problem of underreporting sexual
misconduct persists. Most experts believe that zero-tolerance policies and new training programs
can have a positive impact on the workplace environment; however, further research is required
to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes in the long term.
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1
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