The “Perfect” Target: Investigating How Target Expectations Shape Perceptions of Gender Harassment

Abstract Gender harassment, the most prevalent form of sexual harassment, remains notably difficult to recognize in workplace settings. This experimental scenario-based study examined whether the extent to which a target aligns with people's expectations of a “typical” sexual harassment target (i.e., target prototypicality) influences recognition of gender harassment as a type of sexual harassment. Using a repeated-measures two-group design with 132 employed Australian university students, the findings revealed that target prototypicality did not improve identification of gender harassment as sexual harassment. However, target prototypicality significantly influenced perceptions of the target, perpetrator, and organization. Together, these findings highlight the need for organizations and practitioners to both improve recognition of gender harassment and address prescriptive expectations surrounding target responses.