Have Women Developed ‘Immunity’ To Irksome Sexual Harassment That Men Don’t Have?

While male victims of sexual harassment are almost always distressed by the act, female victims appear to have built up a certain “tolerance” for sexual harassment they interpret as merely “bothersome,” conclude Michigan State University researchers. That is: Because the harassment is so commonplace for them, women have developed certain “immunities” to it that allow them to handle it in a more capable way. That isn’t to say both women and men are not both distressed by sexual harassment, but women manage to power through it. Says lead researcher Isis Settles: “When women view sexual harassment as bothersome, it doesn’t seem to be associated with distress. In some ways this suggests that sexual harassment is such a widespread problem that women have figured out ways to deal with it so it doesn’t interfere with their psychological well-being.”