Leadership Status, Sexual Harassment Training, and Women’s Motivation to Work with Men

• In Event: 21017 - Organizational Policies and Gender Inequality

Abstract

Sexual harassment policy training is ubiquitous in U.S. workplaces. While trainings are an important tool, we know little about how they affect women’s own motivation to work with men. Because such trainings make gender differences in power salient, these trainings have the potential to make women feel empowered, because they provide tools to address harassment, or powerless, because the ongoing risk of harassment is highlighted. We conducted an experiment in which we exposed women to sexual harassment policy training and then assessed their motivation to work with a male partner on a decision-making task. We gathered data from 100 women in a 2 (Training: Sexual Harassment, Control) X 2 (Power Position: Leader, Helper) design. We measured women’s expectations for working with a man vs. woman (e.g., how enjoyable, effective, etc. alpha=.82) and their behavior (i.e., did they choose to work with a woman or man?). Leaders chose men as partners less often those assigned as helpers. Policy training did not affect partner choice. Sexual harassment training did, however, have different effects on expectations for female vs. male partners depending on the woman’s power position. Among those assigned to be leaders, sexual harassment training led women to have more positive expectations for female (than male) helpers. Among those assigned to be helpers, sexual harassment training led women to have equal expectations for female- and male-led teams. We suggest that sexual harassment training may have amplified women leaders’ concerns about working with male subordinates, but reduced women subordinates’ concerns about working under a male leader. These findings have implications for legislation as well as for the effective implementation of sexual harassment policies and trainings for government employees.

Authors

• Justine Eatenson Tinkler, University of Georgia

• Jody Clay-Warner, University of Georgia