The influence of providing definitions of sexual harassment on perceptions of workplace gender harassment

Purpose – Workplace gender harassment is both highly prevalent and frequently underrecognized as a type of sexual harassment. Drawing from brief educational approaches commonly used in workplace training, this study aimed to determine whether providing a definition of sexual harassment – legal, psychological or none (control) – could improve recognition of gender harassment as sexual harassment and increase perceptions of its harm. Design/methodology/approach – A between-groups experimental scenario-based survey was used with 320 Australian employees. Findings – Surprisingly, results indicated that providing a definition, regardless of type, did not significantly impact participants’ perceptions of the behavior as sexual harassment or their recognition of its harm. However, across conditions, participants who personally labeled a scenario as sexual harassment provided significantly harsher evaluations of the perpetrator and the organization, suggesting that individual recognition could play a critical role in driving accountability judgments. Originality/value – These findings suggest that existing conceptualizations of sexual harassment may be limited, potentially excluding more subtle forms like gender harassment. Moreover, the results raise questions about the effectiveness of traditional training practices, which often rely on definitions to educate employees. This research highlights the need for management to provide more nuanced and comprehensive strategies to address the full spectrum of sexual harassment behaviors in workplace education and policies.