9511422 Gutek The reasonable woman standard, the legal standard used to judge what constitutes a hostile environment was first adopted by the Ninth Circuit Court and is now used by several courts. It is widely held to be supported by social science research showing that men and women tend to define sexual harassment somewhat differently and do not always agree on the behaviors that constitute sexual harassment. A Review of the literature shows that research findings do not adequately support what occurs in court cases. It appears that women have a broader definition than men of what constitutes sexual harassment. A series of experiments will be conducted using samples of undergraduate students and potential jurors from a jury pool (in Pima Court, Arizona). Variables (e.g., the target's reaction to behavior; selected characteristics of the situation; and the legal standard--reasonable person vs. reasonable woman) will be systematically manipulated to measure gender differences in the evaluation of sexual harassment scenarios. This research proposes to close the gap between what is known from existing research and what is needed to assist and guide the courts and policymakers in how to evaluate claims of sexual harassment. %%%% The reasonable woman standard, the legal standard used to judge what constitutes a hostile environment was first adopted by the Ninth Circuit Court and is now used by several courts. It is widely held to be supported by social science research showing that men and women tend to define sexual harassment somewhat differently and do not always agree on the behaviors that constitute sexual harassment. A Review of the literature shows that research findings do not adequately support what occurs in court cases. It appears that women have a broader definition than men of what constitutes sexual harassment. A series of experiments will be conducted using samples of undergraduate students and potential jurors from a jury pool (in Pima Court, Arizona). Variables (e.g., the target's reaction to behavior; selected characteristics of the situation; and the legal standard--reasonable person vs. reasonable woman) will be systematically manipulated to measure gender differences in the evaluation of sexual harassment scenarios. This research proposes to close the gap between what is known from existing research and what is needed to assist and guide the courts and policymakers in how to evaluate claims of sexual harassment. ****
