Factors Influencing Women's Perceptions of a Sexually Hostile Workplace

Abstract Factors influencing women's perceptions of a sexually hostile work environment including job type, gender mix of work contacts, level of resourcefulness, and perception of male work contacts' attitudes toward women were investigated to determine their relationship with perceptions of a sexually hostile work environment. One hundred seventy-seven working women participated in this investigation. Results suggest that a woman's job type and the gender mix of those with whom she works do not significantly influence her perception of a sexually hostile work environment. Rather, the more that women perceive their male work contacts as having traditional attitudes toward women and the less personally resourceful the women are, the more likely they are to perceive a sexually hostile work environment.