Yes? No? A case study on the assertiveness or reluctance of female victims to report sexual harassment in the workplace

Abstract

Sexual harassment in the workplace (SH) is prevalent in both public and private spheres.2 Nevertheless, not all female victims report SH; thus, SH becomes pervasive and common. This is why it is significant to look into the factors that can influence the victims assertiveness or reluctance to report SH. In order to answer this question, the researcher conducted unstructured in-depth interviews with two female victims of SH and two experts in the field of women resources, barriers, and beliefs. This study concludes that in order to encourage women to report SH, it is crucial that these mechanisms of power are transformed that will provide them with equal job opportunities to augment their resources, with a working environment to mitigate chances of retaliation, humiliation and victim-blaming, and with gender-sensitivity trainings and orientations to arm them with a strong genderconsciousness and knowledge about sexual harassment.