MEDIA CENTER
PC India News Release

Power Imbalances Characterize Sexual Harassment

NEW DELHI, INDIA  (9 October 2006) — A recent study shows that sexual harassment in a health facility is seen as normal and harmless. It is considered a natural part of a working woman’s life and rarely an issue requiring complaint or action. The study comes nine years after the Supreme Court guidelines on sexual harassment at the workplace. The Court recognizes that sexual harassment is not just a personal injury to the affected woman but violates her right to equality in the workplace.

Yet, as the study shows, doctors and nurses, senior and junior staff alike agree that sexual harassment is an occupational hazard for working women. A 30-year-old government doctor said, “Women will study and enter various professions. And then men will behave in this manner. We have accepted this is how things will continue.” A 35-year-old government nurse said, “Saying bad things when they see a woman is natural. Given an opportunity, no man will let go of a chance to make jokes about women. It doesn’t matter if the man is a doctor or a nonmedical staff."

The study, "Sexual harassment in the workplace: Experiences of women in the health sector" will be presented at a two-day Population Council meeting in New Delhi on 12–13 October entitled New Evidence on Young People’s Situation and Needs.

The study, conducted in Kolkata, West Bengal, with 135 in-depth interviews of women employees in two government and two private hospitals over 11 months, finds that reluctance to discuss sexual harassment stems from the fear of those on daily wage employment or on contracts that they will lose their jobs if they go public. Many fear they will be blamed for provoking an incident. Others fear loss of reputation after complaining. So the culture of silence and denial continues.

By and large doctors and nurses in government hospitals are permanent employees and those in private hospitals tend to work as consultants. Nurses in private hospitals, although confirmed after three months of employment, can be dismissed at any time and therefore have less job security than those in government hospitals. Health care attendants are employed by patients on a temporary basis and have the least job security.

Of the 135 interviewed, 77 admitted sexual harassment but 50 did not complain. Forty-five reported psychological harassment, 41 verbal harassment, 27 unwanted touch, and 16 sexual gestures and exhibitionism. There were no reports of rape. However, five respondents reported cases of others being raped, or attempts to rape. Of the 45 doctors interviewed, 24 were harassed; of the 50 nurses, 31 were harassed. The most common perpetrators of abuse are patients and their families (42), doctors (41), and nonmedical staff (24). “Nurses are the only group harassed by everyone—doctors, nonmedical staff, patients and their relatives, and outsiders,” a 29-year-old doctor in a private hospital admitted.

Paramita Chaudhuri, who completed the study on a fellowship instituted by the Population Council, says, “Power imbalances characterized many of the incidents of sexual harassment.” The perpetrators were frequently persons in authority, and victims often were those in a relatively subordinate position. Doctors and administrators in positions of authority were described as harassing other doctors, nurses, and other nonmedical, lower-level staff. Even patients are seen to be in positions of authority because their complaints could lead to dismissal.

Actions taken were by and large nonconfrontational. The nurses who complained were kept away from the patients or the doctors who harassed them. In some cases senior nurses personally supervised interactions between patients and nurses who complained of harassment. There was reluctance to complain because in many cases the woman is accused of provoking harassment and there are chances of her reputation being sullied.

Just 20 of the 135 women interviewed were aware of the Supreme Court guidelines on sexual harassment, and none had heard of a complaints committee for redress of complaints. While some respondents felt they did not need a complaints committee as they were secure in their jobs and if they faced problems their supervisors would solve them, others felt such a committee would be useful. However, there was skepticism about the effectiveness of a complaints committee.

The study concludes it is important to have appropriate implementing mechanisms that recognize the obstacles posed by power imbalances and gender norms in empowering women to make formal complaints with assurance of redress.