University Study Shows Successful Women Professionals More Likely to Be Sexually Harassed

Research by scholars at the University Maine and the University of Minnesota finds that women who have been successful in breaking through the glass ceiling face increased levels of sexual harassment from coworkers than women who have not made similar progress in their professional careers.

The data showed that 58 percent of women supervisors in predominantly male workplaces experienced sexual harassment. For women supervisors in work environments where women are a majority, 42 percent have been sexually harassed.

In the research, published in the August issue of the American Sociological Review, the authors write: “Women supervisors who hold authority over some men directly challenge the presumptive superiority of men. When women are able to crack the glass ceiling and attain leadership positions, stereotypical gender beliefs about their ‘natural’ abilities continue to shape perceptions of their job performance.”