Lf. Fitzgerald et al., WHY DIDNT SHE JUST REPORT HIM - THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF WOMENS RESPONSES TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT, Journal of social issues, 51(1), 1995, pp. 117-138
The last few years have seen an increasing awareness of sexual harassm
ent as an important social problem with serious implications for indiv
iduals and organizations alike, leading to increased attempts to under
stand how victims respond to this stressful and sometimes traumatic ex
perience. The present article reviews the behavioral science research
on responses to sexual harassment, including their links to outcomes a
nd consequences. We then present an alternative to the frequently invo
ked assertiveness paradigm, derived from the cognitive-behavioral stre
ss and coping framework. We examine our paradigm in the context of leg
al proceedings that, in effect, hold the victim responsible for respon
ding appropriately; explore the more general implications of placing t
he burden of nonconsent on the victim; and conclude with a discussion
of this research for an emerging legal theory of sexual harassment.