Changes in Patterns of Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: A Comparison of the 1988 and 1995 DoD Surveys

Abstract
This article compares results from the 1988 DoD Survey of Sex Roles and the 1995 Sexual Harassment Survey and assesses the impact of changes within the DoD and heightened awareness brought about by increased publicity surrounding sexual harassment. Responses are evaluated in terms of individual and environmental harassment. The first is defined as more personalized behavior that includes actual or attempted rape, assault, pressure for sexual favors or dates, sexual touching or cornering, and sexual letters or phone calls. Environmental harassment is more generalized and includes sexual teasing and jokes, suggestive looks and gestures, and sexual whistles, calls, and hoots. The data document a slight decline in the prevalence of perceived sexual harassment in the military since 1988. However, respondents, especially women, continue to indicate a substantial amount of harassment, which is still perpetrated primarily by other military members and coworkers, despite the 1995 survey results indicating that 98 percent of the military members "at least to some extent... know what sexual harassment is." The 1995 results also reinforce a key finding from the 1988 data: respondents reporting no environmental types of harassment are very unlikely to report individual harassment, and the vast majority of those reporting some environmental harassment are also likely to report individual harassment.