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Recently, Thacker and Ferris (1991) proposed a theoretical model in which they suggested that targets' responses to sexual harassment would be influenced by the nature of the working relationship between the target and the harasser, the type of harassment, and gender. The purpose of this study is to investigate these potential influences, as well as duration, another situational influence, upon two types of target response: complaint/refusal and avoidance/going along. Respondents are employees of the Federal government. Findings suggest that both situational and individual influences have differential effects upon target response. Implications for the design of user-friendly sexual harassment prevention policies are discussed.

Two recent court decisions have dealt with the appropriate legal standard for determining reasonableness in hostile environment sexual harassment cases. This paper discusses the "reasonable woman" standard adopted by these courts and explores the notion that gender-based differences in definition of sexually harassing behaviors do, in fact, exist. And secondly, the paper investigates the issue of gender-based differences in the emotional and psychological effects of hostile environment harassment. Data from a major survey of sexual harassment in the federal workplace are analyzed.