SEXUAL GENDER ROLES IN MODERN SOCIETY

Sexual Gender Roles in Modern Society

Sexual Gender Roles in Modern Society

Introduction

Within the last two decades, researchers have made considerable effort to understand sexual harassment. In light of the recent trend toward identifying behaviors and characteristics associated with harassment, there is an increasing demand for research on those who are likely to report and/or tolerate sexually harassing behaviors (Poppen & Segal, 1988). Research has indicated that women tend to be less tolerant than men of sexual harassment. Women report harassment more often than men do, and women perceive a broader range of behaviors that comprise unacceptable social-sexual behavior (Jones & Remland, 1992; Pryor, 1987; Rotundo, Nguyen, & Sackett, 2001; Wiener & Hurt, 2000). More recent research suggests that gender differences are more apparent when participants are asked to identify the more ambiguous socio-sexual behaviors that make/or define a "hostile work environment" (Hurt, Wiener, Russell, & Mannen, 1999).

Factors that mediate gender differences often depend on the features of the situation (Pryor, LaVite, & Stoller, 1993; Rotundo et al., 2001). Women are more likely than men to perceive sexual touching as harassment, and they may perceive such touching as a threat, whereas men may be likely to view sexual contact as a compliment (Gutek, 1985). Men are also more likely to attribute blame to victims regardless of gender (Rubin & Borgers, 1990). In addition, women consider the intent of the harasser before considering whether a behavior such as telling dirty/sexual jokes is harassment, whereas men tend to consider the extent to which the behavior violates workplace norms (Hurt et al., 1999).

Gender differences appear to narrow when sexual behaviors are toward the extreme ends of the harassment continuum. For example, men and women tend to agree about quid pro quo situations, about behaviors that are so benign that they are not considered harassment, and about when the perpetrator is a man of higher status or formal authority over the woman harassee (Bursik, 1992; Cleveland & Kerst, 1993; Gutek & O'Conner, 1995).

Such studies suggest that men and women concur most often when harassing behaviors are considered extreme (Gutek & O'Conner, 1995). However, perceptions of ambiguous behaviors (e.g., uninvited attention, sexual comments) continue to show gender differences (Wiener & Hurt, 2000). As researchers continue to debate the extent to which these gender differences are reliable and robust, it is clear that there are other factors associated with tolerance of sexual harassment that may be more important than gender alone.

Sexual Gender Roles and Social Dominance

Previous research suggests that sexism is deeply rooted in traditional gender roles, or in people's own stereotypical conceptions of traditional gender roles (Spence & Helmreich, 1978; Swim & Cohen, 1997). Social dominance, which is associated with gender roles and sexism, is reflective of a preference for inequality among social groups (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994). On the basis of social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), social dominance orientation posits that in order to maintain superior group status people adhere to beliefs that ...