2025/10/01 by Charlotte Keenan, C. P. Keenan, Barbara Masser +3 · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies #Workplace Violence and Bullying #Gender, Security, and Conflict
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s11199-025-01617-y
Abstract Gender harassment (e.g., sexist or crude remarks) is the most common type of workplace sexual harassment but often goes unrecognized, which hinders intervention and prevention efforts. This qualitative study explored how laypeople understand and classify gender harassment at work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Australian employees, who were asked to define gender harassment and indicate whether they considered it a type of sexual harassment. The thematic analysis identified what participants believed gender harassment is, why it occurs, and its broader effects. Themes reflected a struggle to define gender harassment, likely due to overlapping concepts (e.g., discrimination) and variability in how it manifests. Furthermore, participants expressed mixed views on whether gender harassment should be considered a type of sexual harassment. Key themes related to the why of gender harassment framed the behavior as rooted in bias, marginalization, and power dynamics. Additionally, participants highlighted the damaging role of cultural norms in sustaining gender harassment. Finally, gender harassment was perceived as predominantly a women’s issue. These findings suggest that addressing gender harassment in workplace settings requires both targeted education as well as systemic change to shift organizational and societal norms.