Whisper Networks, Influence, and Well-Being: A Feminist and Social Network Perspective on Sexual Harassment Information-Sharing

Abstract

This dissertation uses social network analysis to explore sexual harassment information-sharing through whisper networks at work. Whisper networks are communication systems where individuals informally share information about sexual harassers and abusers in their community. The purpose of the current study is to determine which individual, network, and demographic attributes are related to whisper network disclosure at work, and to determine which network characteristics afford individuals with protection or vulnerability to health and well-being outcomes. In this research, I collected egocentric network information from participants on an online platform (N = 200), including attributes related to individual factors, relationships, sexual harassment experience, well-being, and demographics. Results indicated that sexual harassment history was an important predictor of both whisper network disclosure and well-being, social support, and sense of belonging. Further, relationship characteristics, such as friendship, trust, and strength of contact with others was predictive of being disclosed to through a whisper network. Gender of individuals in one’s network was also shown to predict disclosure, with women being more likely to receive disclosure overall, especially when networks had low gender homophily. Lastly, motivations behind disclosure had differential impact on well-being, with disclosures made for social enjoyment purposes related to higher well-being and disclosures made for information-gathering purposes related to lower well-being. This project draws upon feminist conceptualizations of sex-based social power hierarchies to explain whisper network function and formation and contributes to the literature on silence around sexual harassment in organizations. Whisper networks, in many ways, operate within broader organization-wide networks of silence around sexual harassment. These findings suggest that organizations should consider the causes and consequences of silent networks and the subsequent burden placed on those who must then participate in whisper networks.