Determinants of Target Responses to Sexual Harassment: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Although a significant number of researchers have investigated the diversity and commonality of targets' response strategies to sexual harassment (SH), research systematically exploring those responses has been limited. In this article we present a typology of target responses to SH: identify, through a careful analysis of the existing literature, the potential contextual and individual determinants of responses to SH; present a theoretical framework (supported by the whistle-blowing and stress/coping literatures) of the relationships among those determinants and how they collectively influence responses to SH: and identify a comprehensive set of propositions based on this conceptual framework. We also discuss implications for future research and the impact on organizational policies and procedures.