Rigid gender stereotyping as a driver of workplace sexual harassment

Gendered violence is an umbrella term referring to physical and non-physical violence that affects a person because of their gender, or disproportionately affects people of a particular gender. This violence can be physical, but it can also be sexual, mental, psychological, and/or economic.

Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women in Australia highlights four key expressions of gender inequality which consistently predict higher rates of gendered violence:

Condoning of gendered violence;
Men’s control of decision-making and limits to women’s independence;
Rigid gender stereotyping; and
Cultures of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance and control.

In this blog series, we’re exploring the ways in which these gendered drivers of violence manifest in workplaces, predicting higher rates of sexual harassment – a common form of gendered violence which most often impacts women and gender-diverse people. In this article we’ll be looking specifically at how rigid gender stereotyping drives workplace sexual harassment.

What is it?

Rigid gender stereotyping centers on a commonly held belief that people have natural qualities, interests, and skills based only on their biological sex.

The media, our family, our friends, and other environmental factors shape this belief, showing us limited, harmful and stereotypical roles and identities, such as a belief that men are naturally more tough and strong, so crying shows ‘weakness’.

What does it look like?

In workplaces, we often perpetuate a belief in rigid gender roles when we…

Assume or expect that women and gender-diverse colleagues will do the office dishwashing, coordinate and bake for work events, or perform administrative tasks that are not part of their role description;
Implement gendered staff dress codes requiring women to wear more restrictive and uncomfortable clothing, such as skirts and high heels;
Create unequal parental leave policies based on the gendered expectation that women will be the primary child carer, negatively impacting working fathers who are primary carers; or
Adopt a general belief that women are naturally more caring and emotional, while men are biologically more logical and sexually driven, therefore justifying any sexual harassment by men or unequal task distribution along gendered lines.

How can challenging this driver prevent workplace sexual harassment?

People who strongly believe in gendered stereotypes are more likely to condone workplace sexual harassment as a form of gender-based violence.

In fact, people who strongly believe workplace sexual harassment myths are 5 times more likely to sexually harass others than those who don’t. People who hold gender discriminatory attitudes are over 15 times more likely to sexually harass others than those who don’t.

In particular, men who hold rigidly traditional views about gender roles are more likely to perpetrate gender-based violence. Women who adhere to them can also be less likely to identify and report instances of this violence when they are targeted.

What can I do?

We come across rigid gender stereotypes every day – from advertising campaigns and social media to discussions with our friends and family. A key action all workers can take is to notice and challenge gender stereotyping when we come across it – in both our personal and our professional lives.

A great additional step to consider, especially if you are a parent, is to reflect on how gender stereotypes present in early childhood. Women’s Health East’s No Limitations report offers a range of tips and resources for engaging in conversations about gender stereotypes with children.

If you’re interested in reading more about the gendered drivers of violence, click here to read the previous blog in our series.

For more information on workplace sexual harassment, visit our Workplace Respect Project resource hub.

Jump to