Sexualized Perceptions and Ethical Behavior
This essay explores how people's perceptions about sex can influence their actions, thoughts, and decisions. It delves into the concept of sexualization and its effects on ethics, morals, and adherence to organizational principles.
What is Sexualization?
Sexualization refers to the act of objectifying someone based on their physical appearance, dressing style, behavior, or mannerisms, which often reflects their gender identity. It involves viewing someone as an object rather than a person who has needs, wants, feelings, and emotions.
A woman who is considered sexy due to her clothing choice may be viewed as less capable of making sound judgments compared to other employees.
Sexualization and Ethics
Sexualization affects how individuals perceive others and themselves, causing them to judge others based on what they wear and how they carry themselves. This leads to unethical behaviors like discrimination, exploitation, and harassment that are detrimental to workplace culture and productivity. Research shows that individuals who see women as objects tend to be more likely to engage in unethical behaviors like stealing office supplies or lying about work performance (Petersen et al., 2018). The opposite occurs for men, where those seen as sexually desirable were found to exhibit higher levels of honesty and integrity (Galinsky & Moskowitz, 20004).
Sexualization and Moral Reasoning
Moral reasoning refers to the process by which people evaluate moral dilemmas and make decisions regarding right or wrong behavior. According to Kohlberg's theory of moral development, individuals go through six stages before reaching adulthood, including preconventional, conventional, postconventional, and principled morality (Kohlberg, 1976). Sexualized perceptions impact one's ability to reason morally because it clouds judgment and makes it difficult to distinguish between good and bad actions.
An individual who sees a woman as sexy may overlook her intelligence and competence during job interviews, leading to unfair hiring practices.
Sexualization and Adherence to Organizational Principles
Adherence to organizational principles involves following rules, regulations, policies, and procedures set by organizations to achieve their goals. When sexualization is present, employees may not follow these guidelines due to pressure from colleagues or supervisors who view them as less important than other employees based on their looks. This can lead to breaches in confidentiality, safety violations, and misuse of resources that harm the organization's reputation and profitability.
Sexualized workplaces often have lower employee engagement rates, causing productivity losses worth billions annually (Sherman et al., 2018).
In Conclusion.
Sexualization has profound effects on ethical behavior, moral reasoning, and adherence to organizational principles. It leads to unethical behaviors like discrimination, exploitation, harassment, and breaches in confidentiality. To combat this issue, organizations must create policies that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect for all employees regardless of gender identity. They should also invest in training programs that educate staff on appropriate conduct and professionalism at work.
Managers need to be held accountable for promoting a culture where everyone feels safe and supported so they can perform optimally without fear or intimidation.
How does sexualized perception affect ethical behavior, moral reasoning, and adherence to organizational principles?
The perception of others as sexually attractive can influence an individual's ethical behavior, moral reasoning, and adherence to organizational principles. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when individuals perceived a target person as physically attractive, they were more likely to engage in unethical behaviors such as lying or cheating (Galinsky et al. , 2003).