Executive Summary: Quantitative - Research Paper Example

Executive Summary: IPFW Sexual Harassment Survey Unwelcome and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is an age-old problem that has been previously disregarded but is today becoming a reality at work and other social places. Today, the problem of sexual harassment is recognized as a serious subject – as a work hazard and a violation of basic employees’ rights - that must be addressed urgently. It is for this reason that the IPFW Sexual Harassment Survey was undertaken. The main objective of the study are as follows: Find out the extent of sexual harassment at IPFW; Determine whether women often the victims of sexual harassments; Find out if current antiharassment policies have gaps; Once complete, findings from this study will be used in conjunction with other legislative bills to implement policies to help in curtailing sexual harassment at IPFW. The study used a sample of 77 respondents randomly selected from IPFW staff (34 female and 43 male) and aged between 18 and 31. The results of the survey are summarized below: Sexual Harassment a problem at IPFW Response Percent Str Disagree 9.1 Disagree 51.9 Neither A/D 16.9 Agree 19.5 Str Agree 2.6 Men are more likely to Harass Response Percent Str Disagree 6.5 Disagree 23.4 Neither A/D 5.2 Agree 53.23 Str Agree 11.7 Women are more often Vitims Response Percent Str Disagree 5.2 Disagree 2.6 Neither A/D 31.2 Agree 48.1 Str Agree 13 Respondents were asked whether the antiharassment policies at IPFW fills a need. 52% agreed while slightly more one third were unsure. Asked whether antiharassment policies interfered with free speech, almost half of respondents (46%) felt unsure while 38% said the policies did not interfere with free speech. Conclusions Findings from this survey indicate that sexual harassment is not rife at IPFW. However, policies to curtail harassment must be instituted owing to the 20% of respondents who mentioned that the vice was a problem at IPFW. Besides, staff needs to be educated on policies to protect employees against sexual harassment. This recommendation is drawn from the fact that 46% of respondents were unsure on whether antiharassment policies interfered with free speech. In addition, 33.8% of respondents were unsure of whether antiharassment policies at IPFW fills a need. However, it can be concluded that antiharassment policies at IPFW are effective and level of sexual harassment among employees is low. Discussion The research was conducted at IPFW to study employees’ perception towards sexual harassment and the levels of harassment within the institution. The survey involved staff at IPFW, and to prevent biasness in the data collected, the number of male and female respondents was fairly equal- 56% were male while 44% were female. In addition, employees were sampled from all job classes: professional, para-professional and classified- and from all social classes- married, divorced, widowed, and significant other. These sampling procedures ensured the data was representative of the staff at IPFW. From the survey, more than half of the respondents (61%) stated that sexual harassment was not a problem at the institution. However, 2% of the respondents felt the vice was a serious problem at IPFW while 19.5% were not sure. A general agreement among all respondents was that women are more often the victims of harassment while men are more likely to harass. 65% of respondents affirmed that men were more likely to harass while 61% affirmed women are more often the victims of harassment. However, 30% and 7.8% respectively did not agree with the statement. The research had a strength in the sampling process. However, one weakness of the data provided was a failure to categorize responses per gender. For instance, if the responses on whether antiharassment policies interfere with free speech had been categorized according to gender, it would have been possible to determine whether one gender was significantly unaware of policies on sexual harassment at the workplace. The question on whether antiharassment policies interfered with free speech would also reveal whether men, for example, felt that the policies interfered more with their freedom as compared to women. The survey questions should also include types of harassment that occur at IPFW and how frequent these instances occur. Staff should be asked whether they found the policies effective whenever they reported a case of harassment. Types of harassment and their frequency would help management in formulating policies to deal with specific types of harassment more effectively. Results from this survey are consistent with findings from similar studies. A report by Sturdivant and Wilhelm (1968) and Pager (2007) conclude that women are more likely to suffer from workplace harassment than men. Smith (1997) reports that women are fur times more likely to suffer from sexual harassment. References Pager, D. (2007). Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Sturdivant, F. D., & Wilhelm, W. T. (1968). Poverty, minorities, and consumer exploitation. Social Science Quarterly, 49: 643-650. Smith, R. A. (1997). Race and job authority: An analysis of men and women, 1972-1994. Brunswick: Rutgers University. Read More