Development and validation of contextual measures of sexual harassment perceptions, experiences, and coping for women employees in Ethiopian hospitality workplaces

Mulugeta Dile Worke,Gurmesa Tura Debelew,Zewdie Birhanu Koricha

doi:10.1186/s13690-022-00828-z

Mulugeta Dile Worke, Gurmesa Tura Debelew + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-022-00828-z

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Abstract

BackgroundSexual harassment among female employees in the hospitality industry is a complex phenomenon, and it has ramifications for employment, psychological, physical, and reproductive health. Nevertheless, our interpretation is constrained by a lack of agreement on its definition and measurement. As a result, hospitality workplaces require accurate tools that provide a detailed understanding of sexual harassment and inputs for action to limit adverse outcomes. Thus, this study aimed to develop a reliable and valid measure of female hospitality employees’ perceptions, experiences, and coping features concerning sexual harassment.MethodsItem development, scale development, and scale evaluation were all parts of the design process. Following a round of feedback from the expert group, qualitative results, and a comprehensive literature review on related themes, item pools were created for the first version of the questionnaire. Pre-testing, survey administration, item reduction, and transformation of extracted latent factors of individual items into a unified and measurable construct were also performed. Field testing included five cognitive interviews with women who had experienced sexual harassment, a pre-test study of 30 women, and a survey of 345 women who worked in hospitality workplaces. Finally, tests for dimensionality, reliability, and validity were conducted.ResultsIn Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 345 women working in the hospitality workplaces, with a mean age of 24.31 ± 4.30 years, took part in this study. The robust maximum likelihood estimation approach was used to do confirmatory factor analysis. The model’s stability was determined by calculating the goodness of fit and the factorial invariance. Subsequently, the validity was confirmed. The findings supported the validity and reliability of the questionnaires designed for the target group. Therefore, the questionnaires can be used as research instruments.ConclusionsThe sexual harassment perceptions, experiences and coping scales provide a locally verified method for assessing sexual harassment in Ethiopia by government authorities and local and international non-governmental organisations, which aid in providing necessary services and the evaluation of efforts aimed at improving workplace safety, workplace health, and psychosocial well-being.

Highlights

Sexual harassment among female employees in the hospitality industry is a complex phenomenon, and it has ramifications for employment, psychological, physical, and reproductive health
This study aimed to develop a culturally appropriate measure of sexual harassment (SH) perceptions, experiences and coping techniques in the hospitality workplaces in Ethiopia, which would serve as a platform for other researchers, non-governmental organisations, and government officials involved in eliminating SH and its implications for women working in the hospitality workplaces
The assessment methods that focus on women working in the hospitality industry are SH perceptions, experiences, and coping techniques

Summary

Introduction

Sexual harassment among female employees in the hospitality industry is a complex phenomenon, and it has ramifications for employment, psychological, physical, and reproductive health. Several initiatives, policies, and regulations have been proposed to curb SH [2] Despite these interventions, laws, and legislation created to prevent SH, it persists as one of the most severe issues in the hospitality industry [3,4,5], a primarily unreported and widespread issue [6]. Laws, and legislation created to prevent SH, it persists as one of the most severe issues in the hospitality industry [3,4,5], a primarily unreported and widespread issue [6] It is a pertinent and prevailing issue among female employees [7, 8], resulting in severe adverse effects [9,10,11,12]. Our qualitative findings [14, 15] and other studies have revealed adverse effects on employees’ physical, mental, and reproductive health [16, 17]

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