Definitional Research on African American Students and Sexual Harassment

Abstract

A total of 100 African American undergraduate students were given the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) (Fitzgerald et al., 1988) and an open-ended question assessing experiences of sexual harassment. Results showed a significant frequency of sexual imposition (19%), particularly sexual touching. Participants also clearly delineated a new category of sexual harassment previously untapped by largely Caucasian studies: comments or sexual attention based solely on racial stereotypes or racially based physical features. In conclusion, the reported differences with regard to experiences and definitions of sexual harassment indicate that previous assumptions of homogeneity of experience (with Caucasian women being the standard) appear to be incorrect.