A Preliminary Assessment of Undergraduate Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Although four decades have passed since Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (as amended in 1991) was enacted into law, and over twenty years since the United States Supreme Court first recognized sexual harassment as a cause of action under Title VII, sexual harassment continues to exist in the workplace. The present research seeks to ascertain undergraduates’ perceptions of anticipated sexual harassment in the workplace towards themselves and others. Specifically this study asks students to indicate how likely it is that they will experience sexual harassment in the workplace, how likely it is that others will experience sexual harassment in the workplace, and to also indicate the extent to which sexual harassment, if it does occur, would impact their careers. Further, the study seeks to discover if certain demographic variables such as gender and race impacted students’ perceptions of these issues.