GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES:Sexual Harassment at Workplace

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Lesson 28

GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES

The purpose of our discussion of Gender and work is fourfold:

a) To develop an awareness of the hurdles in the way of women empowerment

b) To develop an understanding of how women feel and what they experience as a result of stereotypical

attitudes towards women's work and their ability

c) To sensitize students to the significance, and the need for, gender equality and equity, and

d) To inculcate a supportive attitude, and a genuine desire to help women become economically viable

units of the society

Issues in Gender and Work

The number of educated women is increasing all over the world, and so is the number of women in work and

profession. In one society, more and more women are exhibiting excellent performance in their academic

career; in many cases female high achievers are at par with male high achievers, if not out numbering them.

Females are entering into a wide variety profession; the professions once considered men's professions are no

longer exclusively for men. Females are entering the forces, flying aircrafts, and heading the police.

Yet very few women are the heads of organizations where both men and women compete for the highest

position in the executive order. The same stands true for all other societies, whether from the East or West.

ILO's yearbook of Labor Statistics (2003) presents data for the years 1996-1999, and 2000-2002 from 63

countries. The data reveals that in 45of these 63 countries, in 2000-2002, 30 to 60% of professional jobs were

held by women. In 12 countries this rate was more than 60%. Eastern Europe and the Confederation of

Independent States (CIS) had the highest overall share of women in professional jobs. The percentage of

women's share ranged between 70 % and 61 % in many countries in Europe and Asia. However this share was

quite low in countries like Pakistan (25.6%) and Bangladesh (25 %).

But while the overall share of females in professional jobs is pretty good, the case of women in managerial

positions is not very promising. The number of women in managerial positions is increasing but the rate of

increase is not very encouraging. The share of women in managerial positions is higher in Eastern Europe,

North America, and South America as compared to East Asia, South Asia, and Middle East (ILO, 2004).The

overall share of women in managerial jobs was 20-40 % in 48 out of 63 countries in 2000-2002. The ILO

(2004, 2003) data reveal the share of women "administrative and managerial workers" to be:

U.S.A ______________ 45.9 %

Japan ______________ 8.9%

Pakistan ______________8.7 %

Bangladesh ______________ 8.5 %

Saudi Arabia ______________ 0.9 %

The share of women in top management positions, board positions, or corporate officer positions is even less

encouraging.

Gender Differences in Career Development

Research data show that men and women pursue their careers in different patterns. Men choose a career path

quite early as compared to women. Research shows that there is a higher likelihood that women will experience

career interruptions, and will leave work temporarily for concentrating on child rearing or family crises

(Phillips, and Imhoff, 1997). In most societies, in case of married women, the husbands' career is considered to

be more important.

Many, if not all, women subjugate their own career goals and ambitions to these of their husbands' (Unger, and

Crawford, 1992). Most women experience discrimination at all phases of their career; at selection, at posting, at

promotion, and in salaries. Women are paid less than their counterparts, and experience harassment at

workplace besides glass-ceiling. They are usually preferred for low status jobs. In the US, in comparison to

every dollar that men earn, women earn 72 cents. The case is even worse in case of women belonging to

minority groups (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1999).

Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Sexual Harassment at Workplace

Sexual harassment is one of the major causes of concern for working women, or those aspiring to join the

work force. If you are a man, how will you feel if:

"You are standing on the bus stop and every now and then someone touches you or pinches you. You get into

the bus and someone starts passing ridiculing comments on your dress; makes fun of your body; laughs at you.

Then you reach your office and you find people discussing your physique; the boss tries to hold your had when

you hand him over a file;"

In all these situations you don't find the courage to respond back and to harshly snub the people bugging you.

You probably be feeling embarrassed, helpless, or angry; and after some time you might decide to quit the job.

Sexual harassment may have the following consequences:

a) Shame and embarrassment

b) Interrupted career path in many cases

c) Hurt and low self-esteem

d) Fear, helplessness, inhibitions, and lack of self confidence

e) Negative attitudes of the society

f) Feeling of dependence; need for a male care taker

g) Limiting ones' self to a career in female-only environment

Sexual Harassment

According to ILO's (2003) "ABC of women workers' rights and gender equality:" Unwelcome sexual advances

or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering

with the individual's work performance or creating and intimidating, hostile, abusive or offensive working

environment." The same document states examples of sexual harassment:

· "insults, remarks, jokes, and insinuations of a sexual nature and inappropriate comments on a persons'

dress, physique, age or family situation;

· undesired and unnecessary physical contact such as touching, caresses, pinching or assault;

· embarrassing remarks and other verbal harassment;

· lascivious looks and gestures associated with sexuality;

· compromising invitations;

· requests for sexual favors" (ILO, 2003).

Sexual harassment is not just a gender issue; it is a human rights issue. It has deep rooted effects on the

persons' psyche. Besides, it is discrimination as well as a health issue. Sexual harassment implies the extortion

of sexual cooperation through subtle or explicit threats of job-related consequences and pervasive sex-related

verbal or physical conduct that is unwelcome or offensive (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,

1980). Although mostly women complain of being sexually harassed, it is not a women-only issue. Men, though

less frequently, may also experience such treatment. One study showed that 20% of the surveyed women

reported having been sexually harassed at the workplace; the males having experienced the same were 10%

(Burgess, and Borgide, 1997; Matchen, and De Souza, 2000). However some researchers estimate that one in

every two women working in an organization will experience sexual harassment at some stage of her career

(Fitzgerald, 1993). Sexual harassment can be physical as well as psychological nature. Physical sexual

harassment involves touching that is unwanted or unwelcomed. Psychological sexual harassment is intrusive,

unwanted and coercive sexual attention from which there is frequently no viable escape (Fitzgerald, 1993).

Research evidence suggests that most of sexual harassment is psychological in nature (Fitzgerald, 1993).

Women may experience sexual harassment not just at the workplace alone, but at any place, any time of the

day. Going to a crowded shopping mall, traveling by public transport or waiting on the bus stop; all are the

highly probable sites of sexual harassment.

Sexual Harassment and Benevolent Sexism In many cases sexual harassment has its roots in benevolent

sexism. The offender apparently expresses concern, sympathy or benevolence, whereas in fact the self esteem

and self confidence of the target is being undermined.

Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)

Power, Status, and Harassment

The roots of sexual harassment can be traced into the power structure in a society. Power, more than sex in the

precipitating cause of harassing behavior. Most societies are male dominated, men being in power; instead of

sexual gains, it is the desire to display and exercise power that leads to an act of harassing others. Similar ideas

have been proposed in the concept of "power asymmetries" (Depret, and Fiske, 1993).

How to Tackle Sexual Harassment

a) State legislation and following international declaration of human rights, and implementation and

enforcement of the same

b) Organizational rules and regulations

c) Children's (especially female children's) awareness campaigns, so that they learn form the very

beginning as to how to handle such situations, also shedding inhibitions in expressing such experience.

d) Complaint boxes in organizations

e) Assertiveness training; the ability to say `No' when you want to say "No".

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