Test of the Cross-Cultural Generalizability of a Model of Sexual Harassment

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology Vol. 85; no. 5; pp. 766 - 778
• Main Authors: Wasti, S. Arzu, Bergman, Mindy E, Glomb, Theresa M, Drasgow, Fritz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01.10.2000; American Psychological Association, etc
• Subjects: Adult; Applied psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cross Cultural Differences; Cross-cultural analysis; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Crosscultural aspects; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Industrial psychology; Islam - psychology; Measurement; Middle Aged; Models, Psychological; Occupational psychology; Organization and management. Professional relation; Organization theory; Organizational behaviour; Psychology; Psychology, Industrial; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Score Equating; Sexual Harassment; Sexual Harassment - psychology; Structural equation models; Turkey; U.S.A; United States; USA; Women; Turkey; Asia; United States; North America; America; Social environment; Human; Occupational environment; Crosscultural study; Sexual harassment; Structural equation modeling
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.85.5.766

Sexual harassment research has been primarily limited to examination of the phenomena in U.S. organizations; attempts to explore the generalizability of constructs and theoretical models across cultures are rare. This study examined (a) the measurement equivalence of survey scales in U.S. and Turkish samples using mean and covariance structure analysis and (b) the generalizability of the L. F. Fitzgerald, F. Drasgow, C. L. Hulin, M. J. Gelfand, and V. J. Magley (1997) model of sexual harassment to the Turkish context using structural equations modeling. Analyses used questionnaire data from 336 Turkish women and 455 women from the United States. The results indicate that, in general, the survey scales demonstrate measurement equivalence and the pattern of relationships in the Fitzgerald et al. model generalizes to the Turkish culture. These results support the usefulness of the model for explaining sexual harassment experiences in a variety of organizational and cultural contexts.