Sexual harassment at workplace faced by women employees in private organization special referenceto Tamilnadu and Pondicherry regions - India

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Akila ◽  
R. Sasikala
Daedalus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-197
Author(s):  
Olle Folke ◽  
Johanna Rickne ◽  
Seiki Tanaka ◽  
Yasuka Tateishi

Sexual harassment is more prevalent for women supervisors than for women employees. This pattern holds in the three countries we studied – the United States, Japan, and Sweden – where women supervisors are between 30 to 100 percent more likely to have been sexually harassed in the last twelve months. Among supervisors, the risk is larger in lower- and mid-level positions of leadership and when subordinates are mostly male. We also find that harassment of women supervisors happens despite their greater likelihood of taking action against the abuser, and that supervisors face more professional and social retaliation after their harassment experience. We conclude that sexual harassment is a workplace hazard that raises the costs for women to pursue leadership ambitions and, in turn, reinforces gender gaps in income, status, and voice.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulugeta Dile Worke ◽  
Zewdie Birhanu Koricha ◽  
Gurmesa Tura Debelew

Abstract Background: Workplace sexual harassment is a public health problem that depends on gender, context, and perceivers ideology. Though studies documented the prevalence and consequences worldwide, the perception, experience, risk, and effects on victims are still at an earlier stage and not well understood in low and middle-income countries, particularly Ethiopia. The issue is worsened among women employees in the hospitality workplace that comprises hotels, bars, restaurants, fast-food establishments, and cafeterias. Hence, this study aimed to explore workplace sexual harassment perception and experience among women in these workplaces.Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted from January 1 to August 30, 2019. Data were collected from women employees, managers, cashiers, and customers from several hospitality workplaces in the Bahir Dar City. The data were collected through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and key-informant interviews. Women who experienced sexual harassment were selected using the snowball method, and the key informants were recruited purposefully until the data theoretically saturated. Key informants who were supposed to give adequate information to study objectives were selected. The selection process was based on their responsibility concerning women working in hospitality workplaces. Data were analyzed via the thematic analysis approach using the ATLAS ti version 8.4.24 software package. Results: In this study, six focus group discussions, ten in-depth interviews, and thirteen key informant interviews were conducted. The majority of the participants perceived that sexual harassment is pressuring, threatening, touching, abducting for sexual advances; and experienced verbal, physical, and non-verbal forms. Similarly, the perceived risk factors were organization related, customer-related, victim-related; and the consequences were work-related, health-related, finance-related, and family undermining.Conclusions: Workplace sexual harassment in hospitality workplaces was poorly understood but widely experienced by women. It was also caused by multiple factors and affected both organizational and individual-level factors. Awareness creation campaigns, pre-service education, and in-service training, prevention, and rehabilitation are needed. Likewise, organizational policies and strategies should have to be developed and implemented.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulugeta Dile Worke ◽  
Gurmesa Tura Debelew ◽  
Zewdie Birhanu Koricha

Abstract Background: Sexual harassment is a public health problem that depends on gender, context, and perceivers ideology. Though it grasped attention worldwide, the perception, experience, risk, and effects of sexual harassment on victims are still uncertain. Mainly, in hospitality workplaces, women employees are disproportionately victims of sexual harassment. However, the issue is at an early stage in low and middle-income countries and Ethiopia in particular. Thus, this study was aimed to explore the perception, experience, perceived risks, and effects of sexual harassment against women working in the hospitality workplaces.Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study from January 1 to August 30, 2019. Data were collected from women employees, managers, cashiers, and customers. We applied a semi-structured focus group and in-depth interview discussion guides. Women employees were selected using the snowball method, and we recruited the key informants purposefully until the data theoretically saturated. Key informants who were supposed to give adequate information to study objectives were selected. The selection process of the key informants was based on their responsibility concerning women working in hospitality workplaces. Data were analyzed via the thematic analysis approach with the help of ATLAS ti version 8.4.24 software package. Results: Forty-five women, five managers, four cashiers, and four customers were included in the study. Perceptions, experiences, perceived risk factors, and consequences of workplace sexual harassment were identified. The majority of the participants lack awareness about workplace sexual harassment. The experiences were verbal, physical, visual, and gender-related forms of sexual harassment. The perceived risk factors of sexual harassment were organization related, customer-related, and victim-related. The consequences were work-related, health-related, and financial and family undermining.Conclusions: Sexual harassment is poorly understood but widely experienced by women working in hospitality workplaces. It was also caused by multiple factors and affected both organizations and individuals. Awareness creation campaigns, pre-service education, and in-service training, prevention, and rehabilitation of the victims are needed. Likewise, organizational policies and strategies should have to be developed and implemented.


2021 ◽  
pp. 263183182110478
Author(s):  
Kanika K. Ahuja ◽  
Priyanka Padhy

Background: Whether working at physical workplaces or from the seeming safety of home, women employees continue to be hounded by sexual harassment. During COVID-19, sexual harassment has taken on a cyber avatar and continues to enjoy the protections afforded by ambiguity and inept implementation. Objectives: The study explores how media reported cyber sexual harassment (CSH) during a 1-year period after COVID-19 in India. It explores the dominant discourses evident in such media reports, such as the ways in which CSH is manifested, psychosocial factors behind the same, action taken (if any), and organizational practices. Method: The present study involved content analysis of electronic print media content (newspapers and magazines) published in India, in the English language, between the period March 2020 and February 2021. A final pool of 24 articles was purposively arrived at through an Internet-based search, which was classified as news story, editorial, opinion piece, interview, column, and other. Content analysis of the articles was carried out to uncover the main themes. Within these themes, the researchers carried out open coding to identify subthemes. Results: Six broad themes emerged from the articles: manifestations of CSH, causes of CSH, outcomes of CSH, action taken by the victim, organizational practices, and barriers in seeking redressal. Manifestations included inappropriate behavior by boss/colleagues during meeting (30.6%), social media harassment (22.6%), video calls/meeting/work at odd hours (17.7%), inappropriate attire (14.5%), sexist behavior and comments (8.1%), and inappropriate jokes (6.2%). Some of the causes reported for CSH were blurring of personal and professional boundaries, lack of guidelines regarding virtual workplaces, job uncertainty, and notions of patriarchy. Only 29.2% articles highlighted any action(s) taken by the victim. Some of the barriers in seeking redressal were reported to be lack of awareness and/or clear guidelines, fear about the repercussions, difficulty in proving CSH, daunting appellate process, lack of privacy with family members around, and patriarchal culture. Conclusion: The study reiterates the need for clear and consistent communication on CSH, both in organizations and through the media. It is imperative not only to revive and modify the existing policies on CSH but also to implement them effectively. In the “new normal,” organizations need to formulate responses that are multilevel, swift, and coordinated across stakeholders, policymakers, technology specialists, and social scientists.


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