Sexual harassment is a form of sexual discrimination that happens in a work-related context. According to one legal dictionary, sexual harassment is the "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that tends to create a hostile or offensive work environment" (Sexual, 2009, p. 1). Today, globalization makes it critical that employers recognize how culturally-based experiences of an increasingly multicultural workforce impact sexual harassment issues. As Zimbroff (2007) notes, definitions or perceptions of sexual harassment can be misunderstood even within the same culture so "sexual harassment must be understood in terms of cross-cultural perspectives" (p. 1).
Frameworks of examining cross-cultural differences across an array of aspects of human existence have been developed. Hofstede's model of five major cultural dimensions quantifies each dimension on a scale of zero to one hundred (Zimbroff, 2007). Each country (culture) is rated on each of the following dimensions on this scale: 1) power distance; 2) individualism; 3) masculinity; 4) uncertainty avoidance; and 5) long-term orientation (Zimbroff, 2007). Through application of Hofstede's dimensions we can see the complex nature of discerning how cultural experiences impact perceptions of sexual harassment in the work setting.
Different cultures react and interact in different ways to a variety of external cues from others and in the environment. In the workplace, beliefs, attitudes, norms and values that are culturally influenced impact how workers perceive or define sexual harassment. For instance, Asian cultures have a low rating where long-term orientation is concerned, because they have great respect for tradition, social obligation and "saving face" (Zimbroff, 2007, p. 5). During interactions in the workplace, great significance is placed on the obligation to be respectfu...