WHEN PRANKS BECOME HARASSMENT - THE CASE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN FIREFIGHTERS

Surveys and interviews with 22 African American women firefighters sug gest that a key to defining gender harassment rests in the organizatio nal climate. Eight subtle as well as overt climatic indicators of gend er harassment are identified. ''Initiation rites'' into a work group o r ''pranks'' become harassing when they occur in a context of exclusio n rather than ultimate inclusion. Although such harassment undermines workers' feelings of acceptance and organizational self-esteem, they d o not diminish survivors' job commitment or satisfaction. Finally, the se data suggest that race and gender discrimination are intertwined fo r African American women who are excluded from their work groups becau se of both racial and gender discrimination.