The male sexual script dominant in American culture dovetails with the need to continually establish sexual competence as masculine (Tiefer, 1986). Men who engage in sexual harassment may justify their behaviors by drawing on aspects of traditional male sexual scripts. The centrality of sexuality in cultural constructions of masculinity combined with a sense of entitlement (Gilbert, 1992) may lead some men to connect dominance and sexuality and thus increase the likelihood that they will engage in sexual harassment (Pryor, LaVite, &. Stoller, 1993). Changes lauded in the male sexual script in recent decades have retained the idea of sexual dominance if not exploitation, although the expectations of being a technically proficient lover have been added. Thus the potential for harassment was not reduced.
The male sexual script not only indicates what a man should do, but also carries ideas about women and their behavior. We present three male patterns linked to harassing and then complementary female patterns, that is, ones that make it difficult for women to prevent harassment.