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Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment at Work and in Campus

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Examine the notion of sexual harassment. Discuss the theories and issues around sexual harassment ... 1. Sexual harassment only happens to young and pretty girls. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment at Work and in Campus


1
Drawing the Line Sexual Harassment at Work and
in Campus
  • Cecilia Ng
  • Seminar Memahami dan Menangani Gangguan Seksual
    di Universiti
  • 22 May 2007
  • Kanita, Universiti Sains Malaysia

2
Introduction
  • Objectives
  • Examine the notion of sexual harassment
  • Discuss the theories and issues around sexual
    harassment
  • Note MOHRs policy governing sexual harassment

3
Introduction
  • Industrialisation and intensification of
    globalisation across the globe
  • More and more women entering the paid work force
    in developing countries
  • Majority in manufacturing and services sectors
  • Many in medium and low-skilled jobs
  • Increased reports of sexual harassment in the
    work place which affect mainly women employees

4
Introduction
  • Safety and health issue
  • Just working environment
  • Dignity at work
  • Discrimination at work
  • Form of gender-based violence
  • Violation of human rights

5
Introduction
  • BUT
  • Still contentious issue
  • Differing perceptions between men and women
  • Men view less SH than women
  • Women do not recognise SH when it occurs
  • Where does one draw the line?

6
Incidences of SH
  • Studies conclude that women experience a
    disproportionately higher rate of sh
  • Survey figures ranging from 40 to as high as 80
    of female employees reporting sh on their jobs
    by their male colleagues or supervisors
    (Aggarwal, 1992 Earle and Madek, 1993 ILO,
    2001)
  • Survey in UC Berkeley campus sh experienced by
    30 of undergraduate women
  • Rate of sh among undergraduate and graduate women
    was between 30 53 and that of undergraduate
    men was 13 (Malovich and Stake, 1990 cited in
    Ho, 2006)

7
Incidences of SH
  • In Malaysia, the first survey on sh conducted) by
    the Womens Section of the Malaysian Trades Union
    Congress (MTUC) in 1987
  • Study reported that 11 to 90 of the female
    respondents experienced sh in the workplace
  • 1990s a survey of 586 public administrators (422
    men and 164 women) in the northern states of
    Peninsular Malaysia reported that 43.4 of the
    men and 53 of the women faced at least one form
    of sh (Sabitha,1999)

8
Incidences of SH
  • 2001 study (Ng, Cecilia et al.) about 35 of the
    1,483 respondents surveyed reported that they had
    experienced one or more forms of sh in their
    place of work
  • Higher percentage of female respondents (38)
    than male respondents (32) indicated that they
    had experienced such harassment
  • Most common form of harassment encountered was
    verbal, followed by physical harassment
  • In-depth interviews with key informants revealed
    that the perpetrators were mainly male superiors
    or co-workers
  • Only 22-25 of the victims/survivors would
    actually report to their supervisors or to Human
    Resources reflecting lack of confidence in the
    grievance procedure
  • MOHR received 105 complaints of SH from 2001
    2004 of which 10 people were sacked (Ho, 2006)

9
What is Sexual Harassment?
  • Involves unwanted, unsolicited and unreciprocated
    conduct of a sexual nature
  • Involves sexual requests or attention that is not
    justified in terms of the working relationship
  • Involves an offence or humiliation or threat to
    her/his well being
  • Various definitions and under various
    jurisdictions and approaches
  • Anti-discrimination, human rights, labour,
    criminal laws and Codes of Practice

10
European Commission
  • Most commonly cited definition European
    Commission Recommendation 27 November 1991 on the
    protection of the dignity of women and men at
    work
  • Article 1 It is recommended that sexual
    harassment means unwanted conduct of a sexual
    nature, or other conduct based on sex affecting
    the dignity of women and men at work. This can
    include unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal
    conduct.

11
Sexual HarassmentMalaysia Code of Practice (1999)
  • Any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having
    the effect of verbal, non-verbal, visual,
    psychological or physical harassment
  • (i) That might, on reasonable grounds, be
    perceived by the recipient as placing a
    condition of a sexual nature on his/her
    employment or
  • (ii) That might, on reasonable grounds, be
    perceived by the recipient as an offence or
    humiliation, or a threat to her/his well-being,
    but has no direct link to her/his employment

12
SEXUAL HARASSMENT (Asian Institute of
Technology, Thailand )
  • includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests
    for sexual favours, and other physical, oral or
    written conduct or visual manifestations of a
    sexual nature when
  • (i) acceptance of sexual advances or invitations
    is made or implied as condition of education or
    employment or
  • (ii) rejection of sexual advances, requests or
    other sexual manifestations affects grades or
    any academic or personnel decisions that
    concern the recipient or

13
SEXUAL HARASSMENT (AIT, Thailand )
  • (iii) unwelcome sexual advances or other sexual
    advance or other sexual manifestations which
    interfere with the recipients work or create an
    offensive, intimidating or hostile employment,
    academic or residential environment.

14
Categories of Sexual Harassment
  • Sexual Coercion
  • that results in some direct consequence to the
    victims employment status or some gain or loss
    of tangible job benefits (quid pro quo)
  • Sexual Annoyance
  • sexually-related conduct that is hostile,
    intimidating or offensive to the recipient, but
    no direct link to tangible job benefits.

15
Statements Agree or Disagree?
  • 1. Sexual harassment only happens to young and
    pretty girls.
  • 2. Sexual harassment is natural - it is part of
    the work culture/mens sexual drives.
  • 3. Sexual harassment and flirting are one and the
    same just a bit of workplace fun.
  • 4. Women who dress sexily are inviting sexual
    harassment they ask for it.
  • 5. Working women are mainly harassed by their
    employers.

16
Grey Areas Still
  • Differing Perceptions
  • Whether an incident is labelled sexual
    harassment depends on
  • The behaviour in question
  • The relationship between harasser and victim
  • The sex of the harasser
  • The sex and age of the victim
  • The sex of the person doing the rating

17
Explaining Sexual Harassment
  • Four Models (Tangri, Burt and Johnson,1982)
  • Natural/biological
  • Socio-cultural
  • Organisational
  • Sex-role spillover theory
  • Feminist psychological explanations

18
Natural/biological Model
  • Men and women are naturally attracted to each
    other and thus like to relate to each other in
    sexually oriented manners in the workplace
  • Women misconstrue this sexual attraction
  • Sexual harassment is harmless behavior rather
    than a problem to be solved
  • Essentialist explanation debunked academically
    however it is still a popular belief held by many
    in society

19
Socio-Cultural
  • An expression of power and hostility whereby
    those with the least power in society are the
    most likely to be harassed. Thus sexual
    harassment is not about sex but about power in
    that it reflects the unequal gender power
    relations in society
  • Use of male sexuality to exercise and reinforce
    mens power and control over women
  • It is a form of sexual violence and gender
    discrimination, which is part of the larger
    patriarchal system in which men define the
    cultural norms by which women should perceive
    themselves.

20
Organizational and Sex Role Spillover
  • The hierarchical structure of organizations lends
    itself to sexual harassment encounters. This is
    because those in power are granted legitimate
    power over their subordinates in this case to
    accept their subordinate role as a sex object
  • Sex-role spillover denotes the carryover of
    gender-based expectations into the workplace.
    Women are assumed to be sexual and to elicit
    sexual overtures from men rather naturally.

21
Feminist Psychological Explanations
  • Womens psychological state under patriarchy
    psychologically disempowered
  • Psychological of entitlement vs psychology of
    accommodation
  • Women go along with mens use of their bodies but
    refuse to accept it verbally. Are women
    accomplices of their own subjugation?
  • Psychosocial construction of masculine identity.
    SH is an act of conformity or over conformity to
    masculine identities

22
Potential Doers and Victims
  • Superior against subordinate (lecturer against
    student)
  • Subordinate against superior (Dean against
    lecturer)
  • Employer (boss) against employer
  • Client against employee (vendor against clerk)
  • Employee against another employee/colleague
  • In public spaces (buses, parks) men against women

23
Who are affected?
  • Women mainly
  • female recipients in a subordinate position, a
    woman manager with men under her supervision or
    from co-workers
  • Men (small in numbers, but slowly increasing)
  • men are affected and they should have the same
    rights as women

24
Why mainly women? Concept of gender
  • Gender as social construction of sexual
    differences (biological male and female)
  • Womens and mens roles, attributes and
  • responsibilities are socially
  • constructed (strong vs weak rational vs
    emotional)
  • Womens position is perceived as
  • secondary and subordinate in society
  • Those in positions of power are able to make
    decisions or act in ways that will benefit
    themselves.

25
In Sexual Harassment . . .
  • Happens in hierarchical relationships where one
    person wields power over another
  • Happens to women who have low pay, low positions
    and in less desirable jobs
  • Also happens among co-workers
  • Happens because there may be resentment towards
    women invading mens occupational turf

26
Why is SH often not reported?
  • Fear of embarrassment
  • Fear of consequences arising out of publicity
  • Fear of being subject to ridicule
  • Economic vulnerability
  • Absence of complaint procedure
  • Lack of confidence in redress mechanism

27
Effects of SH
  • Affects morale
  • Undermines productivity
  • Creates intimidating and hostile working
    environment
  • Affects safety of employees

28
Job-related effects
  • To the Recipient
  • Psychological/health effects such as severe
    headaches, stomach pains and depression due to
    fear and/or threat
  • Increased stress
  • Less job satisfaction
  • Less commitment/motivation to work
  • Career interruption
  • Leave the job
  • Negative effect on family life

29
Job-related effects
  • To the Company
  • Low morale leading to low productivity
  • Reduced loyalty
  • Worker absenteeism and turnover
  • Profitability will be disrupted
  • Cost of recruiting and training replacement
  • Costly legal proceedings
  • Damage to company image and credibility

30
Effects 2001 Survey
  • 25 of survey respondents who were harassed
    reported facing an intimidating and hostile work
    environment
  • Result less productive and effective in their
    work
  • 20 stated that they felt that their employment
    opportunities were threatened
  • Result felt stressed, worked less effectively or
    changed their pattern of work, while some
    considered changing their jobs
  • A substantial proportion of sh victims felt that
    they were working within an environment which was
    hostile and unsupportive, serious implications
    on work, productivity and organisational
    relations in the company
  • 2005 Survey majority of employees at UM felt
    productivity affected if SH occurred

31
Malaysian Code of Practice on Sexual Harassment
(1999)
  • Establish in-house mechanism to combat sexual
    harassment in the workplace
  • Have a policy statement prohibiting sexual
    harassment
  • Establish a compliant/grievance procedure
  • Establish disciplinary rules and penalties.
  • Have protective and remedial measures for the
    victim.
  • Have promotional programmes, e.g.,through
    communication, education and training.

32
Conclusion
  • Employees have a right to work in dignity/in a
    safe workplace
  • Students need to study in an environment free
    from harassment and discrimination
  • We all need to build a safe and just working
    environment

33
  • Thank you
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