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A phenomenological study of sexual harassment of four female public school educators
Abstract
Sexual harassment negatively impacts both men and women in the workplace. It causes a loss of confidence, a sense of isolation and alienation, and mistrust by those who experience sexual harassment. This study is about the more difficult to identify sexual harassment known as hostile work environment. The phenomenological method was utilized to capture the phenomena of sexual harassment in a hostile work environment. Phenomenology, as defined by Moustakes (1994) includes the interrelationship between the context or environment and individuals which constitutes an experience. The interrelationship yields certain perceptions or perspectives of the experience. Face to face interviews with the participant yield significant statements which are extracted from the verbatim transcript. Through the qualitative methodology of data reduction, individual themes and narratives evolve. A composite narrative, exploring the phenomena which is common to all participants emerges. The four female educators in this study, were assigned as special educators to a public school in a small community in a mid-western state, by an educational service unit contracted to provide special education services. The women began to experience difficulty with the superintendent of the school to which they were assigned. The women felt alienated from each other and the staff in the schools to which they were assigned. The traditional strategies they knew to resolve the difficulties did not work. They were affected by emotional and physical stress, ranging from sleeplessness to weight loss to a loss in confidence. At a breaking point, the women determined they would file a complaint with the local school board and ultimately a state agency. The two day hearing resulted in the suspension of the certificate of the superintendent from education for a brief period of time. He has not applied for reinstatement. The women explore their lives before, during, and after the experience of working in a hostile environment.
Subject Area
School administration|Womens studies|Labor relations|Criminology
Recommended Citation
Fulleton, Sue Carolyn, "A phenomenological study of sexual harassment of four female public school educators" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9815887.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9815887