PREDICTING SOCIAL-SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AT WORK: A CONTACT HYPOTHESIS.

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Abstract
This study explored two competing hypotheses about social-sexual behavior at work, which we defined as any non-work-related behavior having a sexual component, including harassment, flirting, and making sexual jokes. The “contact hypothesis” suggests that reports of sexual harassment, nonharassing sexual behavior, and the sexualization of a work environment are associated with the amount of contact individuals have with members of the other gender at work. In contrast, the “gender hypothesis” suggests that men will initiate more and women report more social-sexual behavior, independent of contact. Data from 1,232 men and women provided some support for each perspective. Nonharassing sexual behavior was related to the amount of contact people had with the other gender; men and women were equally likely to report such behavior. Sexual harassment and environmental sexualization, however, were related to both contact and gender.

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