A Review of Sexual Harassment Prevention Practices: Toward a Nonprofit Research Agenda

Sexual harassment has garnered renewed attention with a wave of allegations against high profile men, including nonprofit executives. Given its legal, organizational, and ethical implications for nonprofit organizations and the sector, it is imperative that nonprofits take steps to prevent sexual harassment. Because there is limited research on sexual harassment in the nonprofit literature, we know little about what nonprofits are doing, or what they should be doing. This research note uses qualitative analysis to explore the anti-harassment practices recommended to nonprofit practitioners and compares these practices to academic research to develop a nonprofit scholarly research agenda. We identify a series of important questions nonprofit scholars could pursue to improve our knowledge of the issue and contribute to both research and practice.

Female students’ awareness in sexual harassment prevention

The main objective of this study was to identify, evaluate, and to measure the attributes of female students’ awareness in sexual harassment prevention in Hanoi, Vietnam. The study was based on a field survey using a semi-structured questionnaire on a sample of 150 female students. But, only 125 filled questionnaires were satisfactory and therefore included in the analysis. By using seceral statistical analytical tools, i.e. descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s Alpha analysis, and ANOVA, the study has identified and measured three (3) attributes of female students’ awareness in sexual harassment prevention in Hanoi, Vietnam that have great effects on female students. There is not, statistically, significant difference in the level of female students’ awareness in sexual harassment prevention in Hanoi from these different universities. Based on the findings, some recommendations are given for the universities and female students to improve the awareness of sexual harassment prevention.

Sexual Harassment by Patients, Clients, and Residents: Investigating Its Prevalence, Frequency and Associations with Impaired Well-Being among Social and Healthcare Workers in Germany

Social and healthcare workers are at high risk of experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Although sexual harassment is detrimental to people’s well-being, only a few studies have systematically investigated social and healthcare workers’ experiences of different forms of sexually harassing behaviors by patients, clients, and residents in Germany. This study aimed to address this gap by determining the prevalence rates and frequency of nonverbal, verbal, and physical sexual harassment by patients, clients, and residents against social and healthcare workers. In addition, we examined the associations of sexual harassment with workers’ well-being and described employees’ awareness of offers of organizational support for sexual harassment prevention and aftercare. Data were collected from N = 901 employees working in a total of 61 facilities, including inpatient and outpatient care, psychiatric facilities, hospitals, and facilities for persons with disabilities. While the prevalence, frequency, and predominant forms of sexual harassment differed across sectors, the results indicated that nonverbal, verbal and physical sexual harassment were highly prevalent in social and healthcare work, with both men and women being affected. Furthermore, we found that sexual harassment was positively related to impaired well-being (e.g., depressiveness and psychosomatic complaints). In terms of support offers for sexual harassment prevention and aftercare, we found that approximately one-third of social and healthcare workers were not aware of any offers at their facilities. In addition to highlighting the problem of sexual harassment by patients, clients, and residents in social and healthcare settings, this study provides recommendations for the development of interventions and suggests several avenues for future research.