Barriers to Reporting Female-to-Male Harassment at Workplace
Main Article Content
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the barriers that hinder the victims of female-to-male harassment from reporting such events. Workplace harassment has traditionally been researched as sexual harassment by males to females. However, workplace harassment has many dimensions e.g., sexual harassment, bullying, mocking, undue pressurizing etc. To explore the barriers that hindered the male victims who faced harassment by females from reporting the harassment incident. This study followed qualitative research method and applied phenomenology as a research design. The study performed thematic analysis to describe the narratives of victims. A positivist approach was followed to conduct this research. Semi-structured interviews of eight males, who experienced harassment from their female counterparts, were performed. These respondents were from different organizations and different sectors of economy in Pakistan. Thematic analysis revealed that various societal barriers (i.e. unawareness of being harassed, concept of manly spirit, co-workers jokes, fear of disrespect and not being believed, and belonging to female-privileged society) as well as organizational barriers (i.e. unavailability of proper reporting procedures, power/authority/seniority of the harasser, and gender of authority to report) existed and were faced by the victims. Moreover, fear of gender-based discrimination was the key to most of the barriers.
Article Details
References
Adikaram, A. S. (2018). Being sensitive to the culture: challenges in researching sensitive topics in an Asian culture. Qualitative Research Journal, 18(3), 287-299.
Ali, T. S., & Khan, N. (2007). Strategies and recommendations for prevention and control of domestic violence against women in Pakistan. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, 57(1), 27.
Ali, F., & Kramar, R. (2015). An exploratory study of sexual harassment in Pakistani organizations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 32(1), 229-249
Bader, B., Stoermer, S., Bader, A. K., & Schuster, T. (2018). Institutional discrimination of women and workplace harassment of female expatriates: Evidence from 25 host countries. Journal of Global Mobility, 6(1), 40-58.
Becton, J. B., Gilstrap, J. B., & Forsyth, M. (2017). Preventing and correcting workplace harassment: Guidelines for employers. Business Horizons, 60(1), 101–111.
Bendixen, M., & Kennair, L. E. O. (2017). Advances in the understanding of same-sex and opposite-sex sexual harassment. Evolution and Human Behavior, 38(5), 583-591.
Bibi, A., Bukhari, S., Sami, A., Irfan, A., Liaqaut, H. (2018). Effect of Latest Technology and Social Media on Interpersonal Communication on Youth of Balochistan. Journal of Managerial Sciences, XI (3), 475- 490
Bowling, N. A., & Beehr, T. A. (2006). Workplace harassment from the victim's perspective: A theoretical model and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(5), 998-1012.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Budden, L. M., Birks, M., Cant, R., Bagley, T., & Park, T. (2017). Australian nursing students ’ experience of bullying and / or harassment during clinical placement. Collegian, 24(2), 125–133.
Coffey, A., & Atkinson, P. (1996). Making sense of qualitative data: complementary research strategies. Sage Publications, Inc.
Cortina, L. M., & Berdahl, J. L. (2008). Sexual harassment in organizations: A decade of research in review. Handbook of organizational behavior, 1, 469-497.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Duffy, M. K., Ganster, D. C., & Pagon, M. (2002). Social undermining in the workplace. Academy of management Journal, 45(2), 331-351.
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice, 2, 3-40.
Egbule, E. O. (2023). Counselors, education, and sexual harassment of the girl-child in secondary schools: The need for reformative strategies. Gph-international journal of social science and humanities research, 6(05), 12-20.
Ehsan, H., Hashimi, Z., Jalily, S., Noorandish, M., Halim, T., Muhib, R., & Mayar, S. (2024). Sexual Harassment of Female Students in Afghanistan Universities: A Transverse Study. Journal of Psychosexual Health, 26318318241256451.
Erentzen, C., Salerno?Ferraro, A. C., & Schuller, R. A. (2023). What guy wouldn't want it? Male victimization experiences with female?perpetrated stranger sexual harassment. Journal of Social Issues, 79(4), 1345-1369.
Feenstra, T. M., Mak-van der Vossen, M. C., Schijven, M. P., & van Dijkum, E. J. N. (2023). Digital training resources in the Dutch surgical residency curricula and the perspectives of residents: a thematic analysis of resident interviews. Journal of Surgical Education, 80(3), 457-467.
Gianakos, A. L., Freischlag, J. A., Mercurio, A. M., Haring, R. S., LaPorte, D. M., Mulcahey, M. K., ... & Kennedy, J. G. (2022). Bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, and the fear of retaliation during surgical residency training: a systematic review. World journal of surgery, 46(7), 1587-1599.
Gupta, A., Thompson, J. C., Ringel, N. E., Kim-Fine, S., Ferguson, L. A., Blank, S. V., ... & Grimes, C. L. (2024). Sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination in obstetrics and gynecology: a systematic review. JAMA network open, 7(5), e2410706-e2410706.
He, H., Wang, X., Wang, P., & Liu, S. (2024). Association between sexual harassment intervention strategies and the sexual harassment perception and attitude of university students in Beijing, China. Journal of interpersonal violence, 39(1-2), 214-236.
Hoel, H., Sheehan, M. J., Cooper, C. L., & Einarsen, S. (2011). Organisational effects of workplace bullying. Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice, 129-148.
Hogh, A., Mikkelsen, E. G., & Hansen, A. M. (2011). Individual consequences of workplace bullying/mobbing. Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice, 2, 107-128.
Kelloway, E. K., Barling, J., Hurrell, J. J., & Connolly, J. (2007). Handbook of Workplace Violence. Canadian Psychology, 48(1), 45-46.
Leymann, H. (1990). Mobbing and psychological terror at workplaces. Violence and victims, 5(2), 119-126.
Mills, C. B., & Scudder, J. N. (2023). He said, she said: the effectiveness and outcomes of responses to sexual harassment. International Journal of Business Communication, 60(3), 733-750.
Niedhammer, I., David, S., Degioanni, S., & 143 occupational physicians. (2006). Association
between workplace bullying and depressive symptoms in the French working population.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61, 251– 259. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.03.051.
Noor, S., & Iamtrakul, P. (2023). Women's access to urban public transport: Toward addressing policy constraints in combating sexual harassment. Transport policy, 137, 14-22.
Petersen, J. L., & Hyde, J. S. (2009). A longitudinal investigation of peer sexual harassment victimization in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 32(5), 1173-1188.
Polit, D. F., Beck, C. T., & Hungler, B. P. (2006). Study guide to accompany essentials of nursing research: Methods, appraisal, and utilization. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Qayyum, A., Ahmad, M., Ghani, H. M. S., Begum, U., Amanullah, R., & Husnain, M. (2023). Structural and Direct Violence against Women Laws and Reality: Comparative Analysis of Pakistan and South Korea. Qualitative Research, 23(2), 69-88.
Riddle, K., & Heaton, K. (2023). Antecedents to Sexual Harassment of Women in Selected Male-Dominated Occupations: A Systematic Review. Workplace Health & Safety, 21650799231157085.
Rospenda, K. M., & Richman, J. A. (2004). The factor structure of generalized workplace harassment. Violence and Victims, 19(2), 221.
Sadeghian, M. H., Fomani, F. K., Moshtagh, M., Elahi, E., Rostamian, A., & Ostadtaghizadeh, A. (2023). From nuisance to helpful assistants: A qualitative thematic analysis of medical volunteers' experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. Nursing Practice Today.
Sadruddin, M. M. (2013). Sexual Harassment at Workplace in Pakistan-Issues and Remedies about the Global Issue at Managerial Sector. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1).
Schnoll, J. S., Connolly, J., Josephson, W. J., Pepler, D., & Simkins-Strong, E. (2015). Same-and cross-gender sexual harassment victimization in middle school: A developmental-contextual perspective. Journal of School Violence, 14(2), 196-216.
Sigal, J. (2006). International sexual harassment. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087(1), 356-369.
Smidt, A. M., Adams-Clark, A. A., & Freyd, J. J. (2023). Institutional courage buffers against institutional betrayal, protects employee health, and fosters organizational commitment following workplace sexual harassment. Plos one, 18(1), e0278830.
Solomon, V., Younas, F., & Sami, A. (2022). Predicting Self-determinism: Role of Charismatic Leadership and Mentoring Effectiveness among Physical Education Teachers of Higher Education Institutes. JISR management and social sciences & economics, 20(2).
Tenbrunsel, A. E., Rees, M. R., & Diekmann, K. A. (2019). Sexual harassment in academia: ethical climates and bounded ethicality. Annual review of psychology, 70, 245-270.
Tepper, B. J. (2000). Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of management journal, 43(2), 178-190.
Yang, Y., Grant, E., López-Sepulcre, A., & Gordon, S. P. (2023). Female foraging strategy co-evolves with sexual harassment intensity in the Trinidadian guppy. Behavioral Ecology, 34(4), 593-601.
Yasir, M., Ullah, A., Shafiq, M., Sami, A., & Irum, S. (2020). Direct and Indirect Effects of Intensive Social Media Usage on Deviant Workplace Behavior. International Journal of Management (IJM), 11(8). 1774-1784