Off-campus UNL users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your NU ID and password. When you are done browsing please remember to return to this page and log out.
Non-UNL users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Negotiating and Cultivating Standpoints: An Examination of Women's and Men's Dialogue About Sexual Harassment
Abstract
Despite the established personal, organizational, and social costs of sexual harassment, it continues to be a persistent problem in organizations. One reason for the ongoing nature of the problem may be the interaction of the gendered standpoints about sexual harassment during discourse. The present study used feminist standpoint theories as a guiding framework to examine men's and women's discourse about sexual harassment. An interpretive study using phenomenological methodologies was conducted. Members of a large health care organization [HCO] participated in both same sex and cross sex discussion groups. Following each group, participants were interviewed using the stimulated recall method. A thematic analysis revealed four emergent themes. In the power discrepancy theme it was revealed that the participants were operating under different gendered assumptions about the nature of power. Because power is the foundation of sexual harassment, women and men participants also operated under different assumptions about sexual harassment. In the fear, emotions, and [non ]reflection theme men and women described experiencing different fears. Furthermore, as a whole they were unable to identify the other gender's fears. Both reflective and non reflective processes appeared to be related to emotions, particularly to the emotion of fear. In the [ dys]functional process theme it was found that sexualized behavior was functional for the men and dysfunctional for the women. Finally, in the reporting paradox theme it was found that through discourse both men and women construct a series of paradoxes that make it difficult for victims of sexual harassment to stop the behavior.
Subject Area
Communication|Womens studies|Social psychology
Recommended Citation
Dougherty, Debbie Sue, "Negotiating and Cultivating Standpoints: An Examination of Women's and Men's Dialogue About Sexual Harassment" (2000). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9967364.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9967364