Inspired by the courageous women who have come forward to share their experiences of sexual harassment, for example those who have spoken out as part of the #metoo movement, Ohio State University researchers, Drs. Erynn Beaton (beaton.13@osu.edu) and Megan Lepere-Schloop (lepere-schloop.1@osu.edu), are interested in conducting face-to-face interviews with people identifying as a woman who experienced one or more of the following in a public or nonprofit organization:
- helped develop or revise organizational policies, practices, or trainings on sexual harassment,
- supported a female counterpart (e.g. co-worker, volunteer, etc.) after a man made her feel uncomfortable due to sexual harassment,
- observed a situation when a man made a female counterpart feel uncomfortable due to sexual harassment,
- managed a situation when a woman (e.g. employee, volunteer, etc.) formally reported sexual harassment,
- personally experienced sexual harassment. For the purposes of this research project, we define sexual harassment broadly to include any situation in which a man made a woman feel uncomfortable due to unwanted sexual advances, inappropriate comments or behavior, a hostile work environment, or sexual assault. The man in question could include: a supervisor/manager, a co-worker, donor, volunteer, client or constituent, board member, public representative or any other public or nonprofit stakeholder.
Despite the vulnerability of talking about sexual harassment, we hope that sharing your experiences with us will also give you a voice. Given recent and past allegations against public and nonprofit officials, and due to the fact that not many academics have done research in this area, we are committed to developing a scholarly understanding of this topic. We are further committed to using the findings from this research to raise awareness and identify interventions to disrupt sexual harassment in public and nonprofit workplaces that can be taught to current and future managers. We will share a report that includes findings and information regarding recommended interventions with all of our interview participants at the conclusion of the study.
We understand speaking about sexual harassment can be difficult. If you would like to find out more about the researchers or the study before opting in to participate, feel free to reach out to us at the email addresses above. This study has been approved by the university board for responsible and ethical research and we are committed to making you feel comfortable throughout the interview process. We are making every effort to maintain the confidentiality of our participants. We will only ever contact you about this study via the email and phone number you provide. We will work with you to select an interview location and time that makes you feel most comfortable. All interview records and published materials will use pseudonyms to refer to all people and organizations.
If you would be willing to participate in this study by engaging in a 60-minute interview with one of the researchers, please opt in through the link to a secure form below. We will subsequently contact you to schedule a time and place for the interview.