Talking past each other about sexual harassment: An exploration of frames for understanding

Sexual harassment, a form of violence against women, occasions considerable debate but little communication. Using newspaper reports as texts, the authors identify four common media frames that not only raise different expectations about defining behavior as harassing and people as harassers, but also suggest different courses of action in response to the behavior. The judicial frame compares behaviors to legal policies or statutes and suggests reactive strategies. The victim frame emphasizes harm or injury to the victim(s), suggesting social change. The initiator frame defines the (mis)behavior as acceptable and implies that no change in behavior is necessary. The social science frame, structured around reliable and valid operational definitions, integrates the other approaches.