"'Blame Instinct'... The Real Cause of Workplace Sexual Harassment [Experiment Note]"

Evolutionary Psychology: "Instinct" vs. Gender Hierarchy: "Structural Issue"
Two Perspectives on the Causes of Sexual Harassment

"Sexual Harassment Is a Matter of Power, Not Desire"
Stanford University Researchers Emphasize Structural Causes

Editor's NoteEat one now, or wait and get two. Do you remember the marshmallow experiment that observed children’s choices? Sometimes, simple research changes the way we see life. Let’s take a fresh look at our everyday lives through the lens of experimental data.

The Me Too (Me Too·I Accuse) movement that shook Korean society in 2018 marked a turning point in bringing workplace sexual harassment to the forefront as a social issue. Victims, who had remained silent out of fear of secondary harm, began to share their experiences, breaking the conventional stereotype of the “ideal victim” and opening up public discussions about structural gender discrimination. Sexual violence, which had long been tacitly tolerated as a matter of routine, also began to be treated as a subject for legal punishment.

But how much has our society really changed since the Me Too movement? According to a survey on “Perceptions of Protection from Workplace Sexual Crimes” conducted last month by the citizens’ group Workplace Gapjil 119 in partnership with the polling agency Global Research, only 51.4% of 1,000 workers aged 19 and older nationwide replied “No” when asked, “Do you believe your company will protect you from workplace sexual crimes?”

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There have not been many cases of actual punishment either. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to Park Hongbae, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, at the request of Workplace Gapjil 119, out of 2,028 cases of workplace sexual harassment referred for prosecution last year, only 62 cases (3.1%) resulted in fines, and just 5 cases (0.2%) led to actual legal punishment. Although public awareness of workplace sexual crimes has changed, the reality remains largely the same. Against this backdrop, a recent study has re-examined the causes of sexual harassment and suggested possible solutions.

Instinct? Power? ...The Causes of Workplace Sexual Harassment

In a paper published in the international journal Sexual Cultures, a research team from the Stanford Graduate School of Business compared the “evolutionary psychology” theory and the “gender hierarchy maintenance” theory, evaluating which was more scientifically valid based on explanatory power, verifiability, and the potential for intervention.

First, evolutionary psychology explains sexual harassment as a phenomenon arising from differences in perception between men and women. It posits that men tend to overinterpret women’s interest, while women have evolved to be more sensitive to situations that threaten their sexual autonomy.

As a result, the same behavior can be perceived as an expression of interest by men but as a threat by women, leading to what the study describes as “sexual misperception.” According to this view, sexual harassment also stems from such perceptual differences.

The gender hierarchy maintenance theory, on the other hand, sees sexual harassment not as a matter of sexual desire but as an issue of power and status. In organizational structures where men have historically held higher positions, sexual harassment functions as a means of maintaining hierarchy and restricting women’s roles.

'Sexual Interest' Alone Cannot Fully Explain Sexual Harassment

When the researchers compared the two theories, the first notable difference was in the scope of their explanations. Evolutionary psychology accounts for certain situations, such as sexual coercion or unwanted advances. However, in reality, behaviors such as sexual jokes, appearance evaluations, and sharing obscene images are much more common. These actions are not necessarily attempts to initiate sexual relationships. Rather, they are closer to making the target uncomfortable and lowering their status.

The study classified this as “gender harassment,” which previous research also identifies as the most common form of sexual harassment. At this point, the gender hierarchy theory proved more convincing, as these behaviors can be interpreted as reinforcing existing gender roles within organizations and maintaining male-dominated status.

The second criterion was verifiability. The central assumption of evolutionary psychology is that, in the past, men’s tendency to overinterpret women’s interest would have been advantageous for reproduction. However, this hypothesis is difficult to test directly, since we cannot experiment on ancient human societies.

In contrast, the gender hierarchy theory can be empirically tested using actual data on current organizational structures, power relationships, and cultures. In this regard, it was assessed as providing an explanation that can be applied to real-world situations.

The last important question was, “How can sexual harassment be reduced?” Evolutionary psychology suggests raising awareness through education—informing people about what constitutes sexual harassment. However, previous studies have found that such education often falls short of expectations.

On the other hand, the gender hierarchy perspective emphasizes structural change. Easing organizational hierarchies and weakening cultures that link status with masculinity are proposed as solutions. This approach focuses on changing the environment rather than individual dispositions.

Additionally, the researchers pointed out that the evolutionary psychology explanation can have the unintended effect of generalizing men as potential perpetrators while at the same time justifying certain perpetrators’ actions as “natural.”

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"Sexual Harassment: A Product of Power Structures, Not Instinct"

The research team concluded that workplace sexual harassment is less a matter of individual “instinct” and more a phenomenon rooted in organizational power structures and culture. In other words, sexual harassment may not simply be a matter of individual deviance but a product of entrenched male-centric hierarchies within organizations.

This study offers valuable insight by framing workplace sexual harassment as a structural issue rather than an individual deviation. The researchers emphasized, “While some policymakers continue to argue that the causes of gender inequality lie in evolutionary or biological factors, these claims must be compared and reviewed according to scientific standards.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.