Effects of perceived verbal aggressiveness and proxemic violations on attributions of source blameworthiness for sexual harassment

As society moves into the 21st century, sexual harassment remains a major problem in organizations (Buttny, 1993; Cockburn, 1991; Kreps, 1993; Langelan, 1993; Simons & Weissman, 1990; Taylor & Daly, 1995; Wolfson,1997). The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, made it illegal to discriminate against employees regarding race, color, religion, national origin, and sex, but at that point in time, the phrase sexual harassment” had no meaning. Although women were aware of their daily struggles with gender discrimination in the workplace, no one had coined the phrase, and this pervasive problem was not yet an established part of the legal system. In the 1970s, the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace came to the attention of the public and the government via media and the feminist movement. During the early part of this decade, feminists defined sexual harassment as an expression of power and a form of sex discrimination” (Bingham, 1994, p. 3). Studies focused on sexual harassment as being rooted in male dominance and privilege in the workplace. According to Bingham (1994), this definition continued to evolve throughout the decade to include such diversities as race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation among women