Sexual harassment at the workplace is a serious problem. But how exactly does it arise? Who harasses whom, and under what conditions? And based on that, what consequences become evident for prevention of sexual harassment in companies?
Background
For some time now, sexual harassment at the workplace has been the topic of serious discussion in research and practice. The Federal Act on Gender Equality prohibits sexual harassment as discrimination based on gender and holds companies responsible for preventing it.
Nevertheless, there is little reliable knowledge of the facts behind harassment, the consequences for persons affected by harassment, repercussions for the company, etc. – especially when men are the victims of sexual harassment by women.
Aim
The research project consists of four parts. In the first part, the researchers will gather data on sexual harassment in Ticino, based on a similar study conducted in the German- and French-speaking regions of Switzerland. The results will therefore allow reliable conclusions to be drawn regarding the actual spread of sexual harassment in Switzerland as a whole. The second part focuses on case studies in private companies and public organisations. By paying attention to different contexts and actors, the researchers will investigate how people deal with sexual harassment in everyday working life. In the third part, in-depth interviews with affected women and men will provide information on how sexual harassment can come about and what effects it has. In the fourth part, the researchers will conduct an anonymous survey of harassers to analyse the role of personality in sexual harassment as well as the situation-determined triggers.
Significance
The study will contribute towards a comprehensive understanding of sexual harassment at the workplace because it captures sexual harassment as a phenomenon broadly, includes women and men as victims of harassment and harassers, and covers all language regions of Switzerland. The findings will provide a basis for planning prevention measures against sexual harassment more efficiently and more fully in future.
Original title: Sexuelle Belästigung am Arbeitsplatz: Besseres Verständnis heisst wirksamere Prävention
Grant: CHF 308‘012.-
Duration: 36 months
Project leaders
- Professor Franciska Krings, Département de comportement organisationnel, University of Lausanne
- Marianne Schär Moser, Forschung und Beratung, Bern