Saleswomen plagued by unwanted advances.

About 30% of business-to-business saleswomen have experienced unwanted sexual coercion from customers, according to an Ohio State University study. This involved pressure to engage in sexual activity in order to gain business or avoid punishment, notes Leslie Fine, assistant professor of marketing.

The study also suggests that nearly every woman in the sales field has endured many cases of less severe sexual harassment. These include being exposed to suggestive stories, offensive jokes, leers, or sexist remarks from customers. Responses to a 29-item questionnaire revealed that:

* Women endured the less severe forms of harassment such as sexist comments and leers more often than men, though males are not immune. While females reported an average of 7.1 such instances in their career, salesmen averaged six.

* Women reported more than twice as many instances of unwanted sexual propositions and suggestive behavior (5.4 vs. 2.4 for men).

* While 30% of females said they had experienced unwanted sexual coercion from customers, 20% of male salespeople also felt that pressure.

"As the forms of sexual harassment become more serious, it becomes more of a power issue than a gender issue,"...