When pranks become harassment: The case of african American women firefighters

Surveys and interviews with 22 African American women firefighters suggest that a key to defining gender harassment rests in the organizational climate. Eight subtle as well as overt climatic indicators of gender harassment are identified. Initiation rites into a work group or pranks become harassing when they occur in a context of exclusion rather than ultimate inclusion. Although such harassment undermines workers' feelings of acceptance and organizational self-esteem, they do not diminish survivors' job commitment or satisfaction. Finally, these data suggest that race and gender discrimination are intertwined for African American women who are excluded from their work groups because of both racial and gender discrimination.We wish to thank Maureen Aniakudo, Brenda Brooks and the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, and Terese Floren and Women in the Fire Service for their invaluable advice and support. This project was supported by funding from the Fromkin Research Grant and Lectureship at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues' Grants-in-Aid Program, and the University of Wisconsin System's Institute on Race and Ethnicity.