Skip to main content

Not just Indian women engineers, men too face sexual harassment at workplace: US study

By Rajiv Shah
A recent research, carried out jointly by two US-based non-profit organizations, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Center for WorkLife Law (WLL), based at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, has found that 45% of women engineers as against 28% of men engineers complained that it was perceived as “inappropriate when women argued at work, even when it was work-related.”
Carried out by a team of scholars led by Joan C Williams, distinguished professor of law, Hastings Foundation Chair Director of the Center for WorkLife Law, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, the study also found that 45% women as against 30% of men “reported feeling pressured to play submissive roles at work”.
Titled “Walking the Tightrope: An Examination of Bias in India’s Engineering Workplace”, the study  says, “40% of men and women reported that women should work less after having children, while 27% of men and women reported that men should work more after having children.”
The study continues: “A higher percentage of women (63%) than men (55%) reported feeling their female colleagues had just “turned into men”; 74% of women but only 60% of men reported thinking that most women didn’t understand what it takes to succeed at work”; and “60% of women but only 44% of men reported a lack of support for diversity initiatives.”
Based on a survey of 423 women and 270 men, majority of them in the age group 25-44, the study says, “Indian engineers reported high levels of bias whether they were men or women. Our data suggest that women engineers are more likely to face gender bias, while men engineers are more likely to face bias based on where they come from (both their region and language).”
Pointing towards men reporting “more bias than women”, it says, “44% of men but only 30% of women reported bias based on language or region of origin; of engineers without kids, “a higher percentage of men (50%) than women (39%) reported that they are perceived as having ‘no life’ so they end up working overtime.”
Then, the study says, “A higher percentage of men (54%) than women (41%) reported they found it difficult to get administrative help”, adding, “54% of men but only 44% of women reported bias in hiring.” 
Ironically, the study points out, not women but also men face sexual harassment at workplace: “11% of women engineers and 6% of men engineers reported unwanted romantic or sexual attention or touching in the workplace.”
Further: “When asked if respondents had ever felt bribed with workplace advances (quid pro quo) or threatened with workplace consequences for not engaging in sexual behavior, 2% of women and 4% of men agreed." And, “when asked if respondents had been told sexist or sexual stories, jokes, or comments, 25% of women and 16% of men reported that they had.”
Classifying bias in four categories, the study found that 76% of engineers reported having to prove themselves over and over to get the same level of respect as their colleagues; 77% of engineers reported that they were confined to a narrower range of acceptable behaviours than their colleagues; 40% of engineers in India reported bias against mothers in their workplaces; and 45% of women reported that they have to compete with their female colleagues to get the one “woman’s spot” available. 
Noting that “higher levels of bias were associated with feelings of exclusion, belonging, and lower intent to stay with one’s employer”, the study says, “Three-quarters of engineers reported bias in assignments, promotions, sponsorship opportunities, and compensation”, adding, “Two-thirds of engineers reported bias in their performance evaluations. Half of engineers reported bias in their companies’ hiring systems.”
Such biases continue despite the fact that over the past four decades, the number of women earning engineering degrees in India increased sharply. Thus, says the study, “In 1980, only 1.5% of engineering degrees were earned by women. Twenty years later, in 2000, that number grew to 23.9%.” And, “by the 2017-2018 school year, women earned 31.7% of the engineering and tech degrees in India.”
According to the study, “the climate for women engineering students in India” has become positive, with “only 8% of women students reported that they sometimes felt left out in their academic setting”.
However, it regrets, “After college, the situation gets worse for women engineers in India. The unemployment rate for women with engineering degrees is high: five times higher than the rate for men.” The reason, it adds, is, “Engineering jobs have traditionally been viewed as needing tough, long, on-site hours, employers have been reluctant to hire women.”

Comments

TRENDING

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat*  The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia.  The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative   The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani*  A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid*  We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra*  Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das  Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.

Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Ban Ki-moon, others ask Bangladesh PM to 'protect' Yunus

Counterview Desk  A campaign has been launched to support Bangladesh-based economist, micro-finance guru and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, seeking signatures from citizens across the globe in order to “protect” his work, life and safety.

Electricity sharing opens up new window for India’s eastern neighbourhood engagement

By Sufian Asif* Today, challenges like climate change, pandemics, energy reliance, economic crisis, and many more are concerning us. No nation can overcome these obstacles without the assistance and collaboration of other nations. Most importantly, many of these problems have international repercussions. South Asia is facing much more difficulty when compared to other regions. In South Asia, we have some regional organizations, but they are ineffective.