Male Victims of Sexual Harassment: A Sensemaking Approach

• In Event: Sexual Harassment Issues in Organizational Communication

Abstract

The EEOC consistently reports that roughly 15% of all sexual harassment reports are filed by men. However, most research on sexual harassment assumes a female victim and a male harasser. The purpose of the present study is to identify the types of sexual harassment experienced by male victims and to explore men’s sensemaking about those experiences. A qualitative analysis of three studies of sexual harassment was conducted. Three types of male victim experiences emerged: clear cut sexual harassment, sexual harassment as shades of gray, and sexual harassment as hegemonic male fantasy. The sensemaking theme of “handling it” is identified and discussed.

Authors

• Debbie S. Dougherty, Univ of Missouri, Columbia

• Francie M Smith, Univ of Missouri, Columbia