Sexual Harassment: A Growing Concern in Hospital Settings

Page: 75-78
Reena Chaudhary and Manvir Kaur (Department of Sociology, USOL, Panjab University, Chandigarh)

Since the independence of India, the number of women coming out for work has increased substantially and the efforts were also made to elevate the status of women in India by removing their social and economic disabilities. It will be agreed that the levels of economic equality and independence are the true indicators to determine the status of women. Employment of women, therefore, is a necessary corollary to achieve gender equality and gender justice. The Indian Constitution grants equality to women and the Government of India has brought out specific legislations to protect and safeguard their rights and interests. Women have started working in every field and also experience number of problems at workplace. One such problem is Sexual Harassment at Workplace. Sexual harassment at workplace is an occupational hazard encountered across the world that reduces the quality of working life, jeopardizes the well-being of women and men, undermines gender equality and imposes costs on firms and organizations. The present paper is an attempt to know about the extent of the problem of sexual harassment in the hospitals and the types of coping mechanisms used by the respondents to handle the problem of sexual harassment at workplace.