Abstract:
With the identification of copious ways in which sexual harassment can affect employees,
employers and the society at large, it has become a much talked about issue among numerous
parties in many countries. But sexual harassment at work places has not gained much
acknowledgement in Sri Lanka and thus remains a mystery to our employers, employees and the
government. Hence with the intention of creating a awareness regarding sexual harassment in Sri
Lanka, the present study tries to identify sexual harassment among Sri Lankan working women
by examining the different sexual behaviors and expressions of sexuality that occur in
workplaces. In addition an examination of the nature and constitution of sexual harassment in
our workplaces, are also carried out in the study.
In addressing the above objectives of the study, qualitative methodology is adopted. A sample
of 28 female respondents was chosen from 4 companies in the industry category "financial
intermediation', by employing 'snowball' sampling technique. In addition 6 top Human Resource
Personnel from the 4 companies were also chosen as data sources. The necessary information
was collected using in-person, in-depth interviews.
The findings of the study indicate very high prevalence of sexual harassment among the
respondents, in varying degrees. Many respondents were identified to have been subjected to
sexual harassment in numerous occasions. However many of these instances of sexual
harassment can be regarded rather include less in severity. Nevertheless, all these experiences
have had some Negative psychological effects on the respondents. It was also identified that the
most common Harassers were supervisors and peers. Further analysis revealed that different
power aspects and organizational aspects have played an important role in constituting sexual
harassment in these 4 companies
