There are problems with the “reasonable woman” concept for sexual harassment cases. Also, the 1995 findings of Baird, et al., although statistically significant, identify very small differences between men and women subjects. “Reasonable woman,” as employed in sexual harassment cases, is a culture-bound concept used by some feminists to present a specific worldview in which women are seen in the victim's role, and men are viewed negatively.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BairdC. L.BenskoN. L.BellP. A.VineyW.WoodyW. D. (1995) Gender influence on perceptions of hostile environment sexual harassment. Psychological Reports, 77, 79–82.
2.
EisenmanR. (1994) Change in the feminist movement: from freedom to puritanism. Psychological Reports, 74, 201–202.
3.
MeadsM. A. (1993) Applying the reasonable woman standard in evaluating sexual harassment claims: is it justified?Law & Psychology Review, 17, 209–223.
4.
WilsonG. (1992) The great sex divide: a study of male-female differences. Washington, DC: Scott-Townsend.