The Incidence and Outcomes of Sexual Harassment Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women: A Comparison Across Levels of Cultural Affiliation

Abstract

An extensive body of literature has documented the widespread and damaging nature of sexual harassment among Anglo women, but little attention has focused on the experiences of women of color. The current paper begins to address this gap by comparing sexual harassment incidence rates and psychological and work-related outcomes of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women across varying levels of cultural affiliation. Chi-square tests of association suggest that risk of harassment increases with affiliation to the mainstream U.S. culture, and hierarchical regression analyses suggest that cultural affiliation moderates the relation between sexual harassment and occupational functioning. These provocative findings are discussed in the context of social and economic vulnerability, socio-sexual norms, and cultural background.