AN ASSESSMENT OF SURVIVING STRATEGIES AMONG WORKING WOMEN EXPERIENCING WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Abstract

The present research investigates the coping approaches adopted by women to deal with workplace harassment. It focuses on the complex nature of coping behaviors related to harassment among three distinct groups of working women employed in (a) universities, (b) banks, and (c) the NGO sector. Employing a quantitative research design, respondents were randomly selected from the aforementioned organizations. Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. One of the key difficulties encountered during the research was the reluctance of respondents to openly discuss the issue, as harassment continues to be regarded as a taboo subject in our society. Result of the study reveals that women are using different social supports along with cultural strategies and develop familial relations to handle the challenges of harassment. Cultural coping approaches appropriately reflect the structural implication on daily life to cope with the challenging situation of harassment whereas familial coping strategies represent gender specific method to cope with environment. Both strategies are supposed to reduce the risk of the harassment at work place.