Targets, Effects, and Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment in Newsrooms

Abstract

Results of a random sample survey of Indiana journalists concerning targets, perpetrators, and effects of sexual harassment are used to test two theoretical models that have been formulated to explain sexual harassment — the sociocultural model and the organizational model. Both models are grounded in a conception of power differences between harassed and harasser. Survey responses show both models have explanatory power. However, the two models explain the same results in different ways and sometimes combinations of the models provide better explanations of the results than simple versions.