Study Finds Young Men Also Sexually Harassed
Contact: George Manlove at (207) 581-3756
ORONO — Society has long been aware that women most often are the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, but a new study by Amy Blackstone, a UMaine assistant professor of sociology, and a research colleague shows that young men are sexually harassed more than people think.
After surveys or interviews with more than 700 young men and women, Blackstone and Associate Professor Christopher Uggen of the University of Minnesota Sociology Department found surprising results from a population not often queried about sexual harassment in the workplace.
“We found that a large number of young workers, a combination of male and female workers, had experience with some sort of sexual harassment” by their mid-20s, she says. “We were surprised by the number of males who said they had experienced something that resembled sexual harassment.”
Blackstone and Uggen recently published the results of their research in an article last month in the “American Sociological Review,” a prestigious sociology journal.
Traditionally, sexual harassment has been considered something men do to exert power over women. But while women continue to be targets for harassment, the researchers also found that young men who challenge traditional male stereotypes also are more likely to be subjected to sexual harassment, primarily by other men.
One of every three women who participated in the survey said she had experienced sexual harassment, but many had not discussed it with anyone prior to being asked in the Blackstone-Uggen study. In addition, the researchers were surprised to find that one in seven young men who participated in the survey said he had experienced sexual harassment at work, and also hadn’t reported it.
“We agree that it’s still about gender, even though it happens to men,” Blackstone says. “Males who are heterosexual and who adhere to dominant masculinity norms have more power in society than other males.”
If a man, for instance, wears an earring, shares housework responsibilities or otherwise “doesn’t necessarily fit the mainstream ideals of masculinity,” he is more likely to be targeted for sexual harassment, according to Blackstone and Uggen’s study.
“Every worker has a varying amount of power,” she says. “Younger workers can be susceptible by virtue of their age and when you throw gender into the mix, then you have another aspect of power. Another observation is how underreported it is.”
Finances or a person new to a job can be a factor in whether a person is susceptible to harassment, she notes. “We did find that men who are more financially vulnerable also are more vulnerable to sexual harassment.”
Blackstone interviewed a young man, an insurance agent, who was propositioned by an older female client, who then insulted and ridiculed him when he resisted her advances. In another case, a volunteer in the survey said he once quit a job where other males consistently told sexual jokes in his presence, knowing he didn’t like them.
“We’re not trying to say men’s experiences are equally as damaging as women’s,” she says. “But we should be aware that it happens more often than we realize. It’s a careful line we have to walk.”
Blackstone emphasizes that in conducting the research, “one thing we tried to be really sensitive about in the interviews and in the surveys was that our goal was not to tell people that they had been harassed. You can look at a situation and say it depends on the context of the situation. We were more interested in having people tell us whether they thought they were harassed, rather than us telling them we thought they were.”
The questions asked volunteers about possible sexual harassment in the workplace both during high school and after high school. Six indicators considered unacceptable behavior included: “Offensive jokes, remarks or gossip directed at you? Direct questioning about your private life? Staring or invading your personal space? Unwanted touching? Pictures, posters or other materials you found offensive? Or physical assault by a co-worker, boss or supervisor?”
If just one condition applied, it did not necessarily qualify as sexual harassment, but with several being present, researchers could conclude sexual harassment probably occurred, according to Blackstone.
More information about the study, titled “Sexual Harassment as a Gendered Expression of Power,” can be read on the Internet at www.asanet.org/journals/asr/2004/pruggen.pdf.
The American Sociological Review is the flagship journal of the American Sociological Association, a non-profit associated dedicated to serving sociologists and their work. Last year it published fewer than 10 percent of the articles submitted.