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Sexual Harassment and Assault

Sexual Harassment and Assault is a 15-item measure that assesses the prevalence of 15 forms of verbal, physical and cyber sexual harassment and assault. This measure was used as part of a nationally-representative survey of U.S. adults. Questions were asked in regards to workplace sexual harassment and assault or in other locations, such as in public or on the street.

Categories

Geographies Tested: United States of America

Populations Included: Female, Male

Age Range: Adults

Items:

Please check off each type of sexually harassing or abusive experience/s you have ever had and where they took place. Note that this is focused on interactions you did not willingly agree to or did not want to have:

1. Someone whistling, honking, making kissy noises, “Pssst” sounds, or leering/staring aggressively at you.
2. Someone saying things like, “Hey Baby,” “Mmmm Sexy,” “Yo Shorty,” “Mami/Mamacita,” “Give me a smile,” or similar comments in a way that is disrespectful and/or unwanted and/or made you feel unsafe.
3. Someone calling you a sexist slur, like “Bitch,” “Slut,” “Cunt,” “Ho” or “Thot.”
4. Someone misgendering you or calling you a homophobic or transphobic slur, like “Fag,” “Dyke,” or “Tranny.”
5. Someone talking about your body parts inappropriately or offensively (such as your legs, crotch, butt, or breasts), saying sexually explicit comments (“I want to do BLANK to you”) or asking inappropriate sexual questions.
6. Someone making threats to harm you, to harm someone you know, or to share personal information you don’t want shared (such as your sexual orientation).
7. Someone saying you must date them or do a sexual act for them in exchange for something (such as a good grade, a promotion, a job, drugs, food, or something similar) or instead of something (like paying rent or a citation, etc).
8. Someone repeatedly texting or calling you in a harassing way.
9. Someone repeatedly asking you for a date or your phone number when you’ve said no or ignored them.
10. Someone electronically sending you or showing you sexual content without your permission, such as over e-mail, snapchat or Facebook or on their phone or computer.
11. Someone taking and/or sharing sexual pictures or videos of you without your permission.
12. Someone flashing or exposing their genitals to you without your permission.
13. Someone physically following you without your permission.
14. Someone purposely touching you or brushing up against you in an unwelcome, sexual way.
15. Someone forcing you to do a sexual act without your permission or one that you don’t want to do (including while you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs).

Response Options:
Respondents are asked to check the relevant responses.

Scoring Procedures

For assessment of workplace sexual harassment or assault, if the respondent checked any of the experiences ever, they were categorized as having experienced lifetime sexual harassment or assault. For street sexual harassment or assault, the positive responses were summed and 3 category outcomes were generated: a) never experienced harassment or assault, b) experienced harassment only or c)experiences sexual assault (with out without harassment as well).

Original Citation

Raj, A., Johns, N. E., & Jose, R. (2020). Gender parity at work and its association with workplace sexual harassment. Workplace Health and Safety, 68(6), 279-292. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079919900793 & Raj, A., Johns, N. E., & Jose, R. (2021). Racial/Ethnic disparities in sexual harassment in the United States, 2018. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(15-16), NP8268-NP8289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519842171


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