Relationship between sexual harassment at workplace and subjective well-being among working women in South Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Sexual Harassment at workplace (SHW) is a global phenomenon. However, there has been no prior research on the association of SHW and subjective well-being (SWB) of working women in Pakistan. The SWB is an umbrella term that encompasses concepts such as satisfaction with life (SWL) and subjective happiness (SbH). The 200 working women from the public and private sector organizations in Pakistan were recruited randomly. The Sexual Harassment Experience Questionnaire, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Subjective Happiness Scale were administered as the main measures. The study met all the ethical considerations. The data was analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and expressed as baseline characteristics, correlation analysis and t tests. There was statistically significant negative relationship of SHW with SWL and SbH in working women. The young age, high school or less education, single marital status, and working in private sector organization were significantly associated with the increased and decreased experience of SHW and SWB respectively. The study recommended the adoption of anti SHW laws by the working sector and the periodic screening of working women for SWB so as to reduce the phenomenon of SHW and enhance the SWL and SbH in working women.