Sexual Harassment at the Intersection of Race and Gender: A Theoretical Model of the Sexual Harassment Experiences of Women of Color

Abstract

While organizational communication scholars consistently call for greater research into diversity processes, we still know little about how women of color experience sexual harassment. Feminist standpoint theories often prove useful for exploring the sexual harassment experiences of White women. However, tensions between the variations of feminist standpoints have hindered its usefulness for exploring the experiences of women of color. Thus, we propose using intersectionality as an extension of standpoint theory for exploring how race and gender interact and mutually influence one another within sexual harassment experiences. On this basis, we generate a model describing the sexual harassment experiences of African American and Hispanic women. The model includes the following four stages: a perceived sexually harassing act, sensemaking and decision-making, resistance through voice/silence, and perceived organizational response. Each stage operates within the contexts of social constructions of race and gender, and organizational culture. The study concludes with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.

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