Sexual harassment in the workplace: a case study of Nigeria

Abstract

Quietly, many women in the world face an uphill battle at home, at work and on college campuses. The battle is sexual harassment. The numbers are staggering. Every day, hundreds of thousands of women are sexually harassed. In the developing nations, because of customs and traditions, women are afraid to speak out. In addition, they feel ashamed and are fearful of losing their jobs if they bring sexual harassment to the attention of authorities. Also, Sexual harassment is clearly an example of the challenges faced by the Human Resource function in the new global market. This study examines the subject of varied interpretations of sexual harassment in the global arena with emphasis on Nigerian experience. A model is suggested based on legal and cultural differences and data are presented regarding the perceptions of various types of various sexual harassment. The paper concludes by analyzing data collected of 34 Nigerian women interviewed, and finally, suggestions are made on how to improve conditions of Nigerian women in the workforce.