An overview of race and ethnicity differences in the amount and type of gender and sexual harassment encountered in in engineering work and school.

1. SEX, GENDER, AND ENGINEERING
Sexual Harassment and Intersectionality:
Race and Ethnicity Differences

2. INTERSECTIONALITY
While it is generally acknowledged that women are sexually harassed more often
than men across the workforce, in engineering in tech in particular, and in school,
this is not always the case, and further, race, ethnicity, and other demographic
characteristics also play into the sexual harassment landscape
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Age
• Sexual Orientation
• Non-conforming gender
• …and more
Intersectionality is important and worth exploring in greater depth!

3. RACIAL DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Are there racial differences in
sexual harassment rates
between Black/African American
individuals and Whites? If so,
what are they and what do they
mean?

4. RACIAL DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
In general, sexual
harassment rates
among Black/African
American individuals
appear to be less
than that of Whites.
Sources:
Moylan, Carrie A., and Leila Wood. 2016. “Sexual Harassment in Social Work Field Placements.” Affilia 31, no. 4 (July 27): 405–417.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109916644643.
Raj, Anita, Nicole Johns, and Rupa Jose. 2019. “Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Sexual Harassment in the United States, 2018.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 36, no.
15–16 (April 11): NP8268–NP8289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519842171.

5. RACIAL DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Black women face a form of double jeopardy or double bind when it comes
to egregious or severe forms of sexual harassment (e.g., sexual coercion,
sexual assault). Historically, black women have been subject to sexualized
stereotypes that make them more vulnerable to physical acts of sexual
assault and harassment. Like White women, they are also more vulnerable
to these physical offenses because of their gender, hence the double bind.
This logic plays out in the fact that domestic violence rates against Black
women continue to be higher than against White women, and egregious acts
of sexual harassment against Black women (like unwanted sexual attention)
remain higher for them compared to White women.
Source: VanAntwerp and Wilson. Sex, Gender, and Engineering, Chapter 4

6. RACIAL DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Despite double jeopardy, though, gender harassment against Black women
appears to happen less often than against White women. While this could be
do to under-reporting, it could also be due to gender policing.
Historically, Black women have been more frequently represented in the
workforce and in work involving physicality. Thus, White women may be
expected to conform to traditional gender norms more so than Black women
— and gender policing may be more extreme for White women than Black
women.
Source: VanAntwerp and Wilson. Sex, Gender, and Engineering, Chapter 4

7. RACE
Are there racial differences in
sexual harassment rates between
Asian Americans and Whites? If
so, what are they and what do
they mean?

8. RACIAL DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Asian
Americans
appear to
sexually
harassed less
than Whites.
Sources:
• Kalof, Linda, Kimberly K. Eby, Jennifer L. Matheson, and Rob J. Kroska. 2001. “The Influence of Race And Gender On Student Self-Reports Of Sexual Harassment
By College Professors.” Gender & Society 15, no. 2 (April): 282–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124301015002007.
• Rospenda, Kathleen M., Judith A. Richman, and Candice A. Shannon. 2009. “Prevalence and Mental Health Correlates of Harassment and Discrimination in the
Workplace.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 24, no. 5 (May 30): 819–843. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260508317182.

9. RACIAL DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
While the numbers seem to indicate that Asians (both men and
women) are sexually harassed less frequently than Whites, it
has been shown that the model minority myth (i.e., Asian
Americans will succeed no matter what) has the effect of
reducing Asians’ tendency to report these incidents and also
leads to many Asians underestimating the severity of damaging
behaviors in both work and school.
Source: VanAntwerp and Wilson. Sex, Gender, and Engineering, Chapter 4

10. ETHNICITY
Are there differences in sexual
harassment by ethnicity? If so, what
are they and what do they mean?

11. ETHNICITY DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual
harassment
rates among
Hispanics vs.
Non-Hispanics
are mixed.
Sources:
• Kalof, Linda, Kimberly K. Eby, Jennifer L. Matheson, and Rob J. Kroska. 2001. “The Influence of Race And Gender On Student Self-Reports Of Sexual Harassment
By College Professors.” Gender & Society 15, no. 2 (April): 282–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124301015002007.
• Moylan, Carrie A., and Leila Wood. 2016. “Sexual Harassment in Social Work Field Placements.” Affilia 31, no. 4 (July 27): 405–417.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109916644643.
• Rospenda, Kathleen M., Judith A. Richman, and Candice A. Shannon. 2009. “Prevalence and Mental Health Correlates of Harassment and Discrimination in the
Workplace.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 24, no. 5 (May 30): 819–843. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260508317182.

12. ETHNICITY DIFFERENCES
IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Why is it that some studies report that Hispanic men and women are harassed
more than Non-Hispanic men or women while other studies report the opposite?
One of the more promising explanations is acculturation … as Hispanic
women become more acculturated to American culture, they may begin to
recognize what is happening at work or in school as harassment. In the
process of acculturation, they may also simultaneously lose family support as
they increasingly reject traditional macho behaviors from the men in their
households and families. This leads to an even stronger impact on them in
terms of suffering the impacts of sexual harassment at work or in school and
experiencing impacts of rejecting traditional female norms of behavior at
home.
Source: VanAntwerp and Wilson. Sex, Gender, and Engineering, Chapter 4

13. SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND
INTERSECTIONALITY BY RACE &
ETHNICITY
Intersectionality involves many complex influences
that require studying different intersectional groups
both broadly (compared to other groups) and deeply.
While women in general, are harassed more than
men, other differences also emerge in race and
ethnicity. And, while in many studies, Black, Asian,
and Hispanic women report lower rates of sexual
harassment than (non-Hispanic) White women, their
true experiences may be very different from what
these numbers seem to suggest.

14. SEX, GENDER, AND
ENGINEERING
For more information on sexual harassment in work and
in school, see our book on Sex, Gender, and Engineering:
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/news/item/book-in-
focus-sex-gender-and-engineering