HONG KONG, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Female employees who are sexually harassed report lower levels of job satisfaction, job commitment and job performance, researchers in Hong Kong said.
The review, published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly, found female employees who were sexually harassed on the job also said they experienced higher levels of psychological distress and physical problems than those not harassed.
Darius K-S Chan, Chun Bun Lam, Suk Yee Chow and Shu Fai Cheung examined the job-related, psychological, and physical outcomes of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Using statistical techniques, the researchers analyzed findings from 49 studies on workplace harassment, with a total sample size of 89,382 people, to investigate the effects of sexual harassment and job-related outcomes. The sample consisted of employees from different countries, with U.S. adults the vast majority.
Female employees did not appear to be more strongly impacted than males, however, age played a role.
The study also found sexual harassment was more consistently tied to job-related outcomes, psychological well-being and physical health among younger employees than older employees.
