Coping with Sexual Harassment: The Experiences of Junior Female Student Nurses and Senior Female Nursing Managers in Sindh Pakistan

Abstract

The major aim of this feminist ethnography is to explore the experiences of sexual harassment of female nurses in Sindh Pakistan, as well as to explore the coping strategies. This research was conducted using feminist methodology. Qualitative methods were used as a mode of investigation. In-depth qualitative interviews were used to collect data from thirty-one female nurses from Sindh. The findings of this study help in uncovering the underlying discourses of sexual harassment; including prevailing ideas about gender, sexuality, femininity and appropriate behavior in Sindh and give a greater understanding of nurses’ working environment in Sindh. The findings of the study indicated that sexual harassment is common in the hospital environment, particularly during the night duties. They also show that the most common perpetrators of all types of harassment were junior doctors, followed by male patients and their relatives in the wards and in the surroundings of the hospitals. Hence, there is a culture of acceptance regarding such harassment, combined with a lack of awareness of how to effectively deal with. The results of this study suggest that there is a possibility of significant under-reporting of sexual harassment. The study will make available contribution towards feminist research.