Perception of Violence Against Women

THE PERCEPTION OF

VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

AGAINST WOMEN

Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the

Graduate School of the University of Sarasota

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Doctor of Business Administration

THE PERCEPTION OF

VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

AGAINST WOMEN

The perception of the threat of violence in the workplace against women is of particular concern to companies due to the fact that homicide is the leading cause of fatal injury for female in the workplace. This study sought to determine if there were significant relationships among the perception of violence in the workplace against women in service-oriented work organizations and the respondent's religious involvement, work classification, police involvement, marital status, and other independent variables. The descriptive research methodology was a survey instrument comprised of 30 questions, 25 closed-answered and 5 short-answered. It was distributed to service-oriented companies based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) that were identified in Orange County, New York. The survey was used in this study to assess the interaction between different independent variables and the sense of safety an individual feels within their workplace whether they were a victim or not. The level of significance (p < .05) supported the victims and other respondents' sense of safety in the workplace when compared to their organization classification, marital status, and police involvement. The perception of the threat of violence in the workplace against women has a direct reflection on the work background and the characteristic make-up of an employee. Results of this survey were discussed in terms of the broader applicability to future issues of violence in the workplace.

© Copyright 2000 by Mona Maria Johnson

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A sincere expression of gratitude is offered to my committee, Dr. John D. Theodore, Dr. Lakshmi Narayan, and Dr. Prosper M. Bernard, for their guidance and support throughout the completion of this endeavor. Their contribution to the scholarly development of this study was instrumental in its completion. Also worthy of thanks is Ms. Virginia Jones, Media Resource Associate, Vassar College, for her time, support, and expertise in statistics.

To my family and friends for their support, I am forever grateful.

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Organizational Response Data 46

Table 2 Organization Violent Incident Response Data 47

Table 3 Victim's Sense of a Safe Workplace 50

Table 4 Victims Who Informed Police and Safe Workplace 51

Table 5 Organization Classification and Victim 53

Table 6 Victim's Organization Classification and Safe Workplace 54

Table 7 Respondent's Marital Status and Knowledge of Attacker 58

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix One: Initial Survey Instrument 70

Appendix Two: Revised Survey Instrument 77

Appendix Three: Cover Letter 83

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Abstract iii

Copyright Page v

Acknowledgements vi

List of Tables vii

List of Appendices viii

CHAPTER ONE: THE PROBLEM 1

The Problem 1

Problem Background 2

Literature Review 4

Purpose of the Study 5

Research Questions 6

Limitations/Delimitations 7

Definitions 9

Importance of the Study 12

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 14

Background 14

Causes 15

Statistics 16

Weapons 17

Stress 19

Domestic Violence 20

Victims 21

Women and Workplace Violence 24

Prevention 26

New York Workplace Violence 31

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 37

Research Design 37

Selection of Subjects 37

Instrumentation 37

Validity and Reliability 38

Informed Consent 39

Assumptions 39

Procedures 40

Data Processing and Analysis 41

Research Hypotheses 42

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS 44

Restatement