Male Victims of Sexual Harassment in Hospitality: A Need for a Critical Review of Literature

Sexual harassment (SH) experienced by men is often overlooked in society (Park et al., 2022). This paper seeks to review recent research conducted on this phenomenon to help understand the causes and implications of sexual harassment conducted against male employees working in hotels and restaurants. 

SH toward employees is a well-known issue within the hospitality industry (La Lopa and Gong, 2020) and currently there is an overall lack of scholarship on male victims of sexual harassment (Scarduzio, Wehlage and Lueken, 2018). Therefore, this study proposes to conduct a critical review of literature surrounding male victims of SH within hotels and restaurants. The aim of a critical literature review is to assist in furthering understanding of what is already known on a particular phenomenon (Jesson and Lacey, 2006). Literature gathered for review will include articles published between 2013-2023. Due to the limited nature of the research, there will be no geographical constraint applied to the search of literature. Literature included within the review will require to be based on primary research that includes male participants who worked within hotels and restaurants at the time of the data collection. Reviewing the existing literature on this topic will allow for research gaps to be clearly identified. This will assist future researchers in furthering knowledge on how this phenomenon impacts commonly overlooked and under researched gender identities and experiences.