Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

PURPOSE: This study concerns female adolescents attending high school who are employed, and their experience with sexual harassment while working. The number of American teenagers who work has risen steadily since the 1960's and currently 80 to 90% of teens now work during high school. The National Research Council reports that since 1996 more females are likely to be employed than males and although, research supports that between 40% to 60% of employed women experience sexual harassment at work there is no comparable research regarding adolescents in the workplace. Prior to 2000, sexual harassment cases filed against employers by teens were few, but since 2001 teen workers have brought between 25-40 lawsuits charging sexual harassment. Employer behaviors range from verbal harassment to sexual assault, highlighting the importance of teen safety in the workplace, where a majority of students spend between 5 to 20 hours a week. Previous research has described the types of jobs adolescents hold, the number of hours they work, and their earned wages however, the exact nature of adolescents' work experiences with regard to sexual harassment has only been minimally explored. METHODS: A non-probability sample of 260 New England students in a small, catholic suburban high school for girls, completed a paper and pencil survey during spring 2004 health classes regarding their overall experience with sexual harassment occurring at their after school jobs. Mental health, academic and work and related outcome variables were measured using standardized scales. RESULTS: A modified version of the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) (Fitzgerald et al., 1988) revealed that 47% of working teens had experienced at least one of the SEQ items. This figure is close to that generally reported among adult workers. T-tests were used to compare sexually harassed and non-harassed working teens. Harassed students experienced significantly greater work stress and less satisfaction with both coworkers and supervisors. They also reported avoiding work (arriving late, leaving early) and thinking about quitting more frequently. The impact of harassment at work also appears to have repercussions at school. Students who were sexually harassed at work had lower school satisfaction and higher levels of academic withdrawal (e.g., not being able to concentrate, daydreaming) than non-harassed workers. Also, the three forms of sexual harassment (sexual coercion, gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention) tapped by the SEQ paralleled levels found among adult workers. However, teens are more apt than working adults to be harassed by a supervisor or someone who is considerably older. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: Results from this study show that sexual harassment is a significant problem for working teens and the effects of sexual harassment experienced during employment may have implications for future career development. In addition, students who are feeling stressed by behaviors they experience during work are not likely to be functioning at an optimal learning level while at school. Educators and school personnel should be aware of the negative impact this work experience may have on adolescents and explore these issues carefully with students who are employed outside of school.