Workplace Harassment Through the Experiences of Iranian Women: A Qualitative Study, 2017

Abstract

Background: The women harassment at work is one of the examples of violence against them, which requires the attention of the society and politicians. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate and describe the women harassment in Iranian workplace. Methods: A qualitative design was used based on a content analysis approach to reach this study aim. 20 women who were worked in different places in Tehran, Iran, semi-structured interviews were carried out to gather data. Results: From the data of this study, 52 cods and 9 sub category and 3 main themes were extracted. Three main themes emerged including “The perceived harassment by women”, “gender discrimination”, and “harassment facilitators”. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the experience of harassment at the workplace occurs in a context where power relations between women and men are unequal. On the other hand, women believe their lifestyle is affecting the harassment. Female harassment brings many problems to them, including reducing self-esteem and reducing workplace performance. So, paying attention to this issue and more monitoring in work environments can partly reduce this issue.