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Thes is Title Working life of Medical Personnel.The case of Sexual Harassment at work

Author Miss. Vijiltra YupenkaewDegree Master of ArtsFaculty College of Interdisciplinary Stud iesThesis Advisor Ms. Wanee 8angprapha ThitiprasertYear Submitted 2 7

Abstract

The research on The Working Life of Medical Personnel: The Case of SexualHarassment at Work aims to study the female medical personnel 's experiences ofsexual harassment at work. The research is designed to study the deftrutions of sexualharassment at work given by them, the forms of behaviors in sexual harassment at work,their physical and mental Impacts on the harassed, factors that Iacn'tare the sexualharass» Il;;nt at work. and the solution process of the harassed and the organization. Thecase studies in this research are 11 female medical personnel working in a hospitalaffiliated to the Ministry of Defense. The methodology of this research is qualitativeapproach with narrative and in-depth interview.

The study of the definition of sexual harassment discovers that most of thefemale personnel define sexual harassment from their own excene-ices , They view thatsexual harassment is the employ of power by male over female through var iousexpressions i.e. verbal, non-verbal and physical actions. These expressions, many ofwhich are repetitive, are not wanted by them because they caused physical and mentalpressure and oppression. They also tarnished their reputation, their dignity and theirprotessional pride. Secondly, two types of sexual harassment at work are found. Theyare the quid pro quo harassment under the context of power demanded by the highercommanders and by the colleagues for sexual favours In exchange for Job and positionpromotion . The second type IS the creation of a hostile working environment cre ated by

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the higher commanders, the colleagues. including the third party, narneiy the clients(the, patieuts) and strangers. Thirdly , three characteristics of sexual harassmentbehaviour are found i.e. verbal. non- verbal and physical touches. Fourthly, the findingsout of the impacts from sexual harassment at work are th e physical and mental effectssuch as embarrassment, being suspicious, stress and the losing of their dignity. Theimpacts on their career vaned from being bullied, job demotion, job transfer, and higherrate of absenteeism to resrqnation . If it is calculated in terms of numerical figures andpersonnel resources. this can cause a d e ~ r i m e n ~ toss of both the buoqet and qual ifiedpersonnel that In turn can affect the organization s confidence and image. Fifthly, factorsin thrs hospital that contribute to sexual harassment at work are capitalism with itsemployment conditions that forced these female personnel to be under this econom icstructure, organizational structure and its culture - th.: multi-complex layers ofhierarchical structure and htensive male culture. This affects these female medicalpersonnel s work attitude and their adjustment to the organization as well as thesolutions in the execut ive level. The other factors are the environmental context i.e. timeand place, bargaining power and the characteristic of job that the harassed have toperform as well as por.icqraphy, Sixthly, another finding out is that the grievanceprocedures. attitude and believes can effect the decision of the harassed whether tocomplain or not. Seventhly, the study of the solutions of the harassed shows that theirreactions are of various kinds depending on their experience s, their personalunderstanding, ano social support. These would enable them to decide whether tocomplain according to the organizational process or stay silent which depend on theenvironmental context at that moment. Eighthly, regarding the orqani zanon s problemsolving procedures the research finds that the hospital uses military disciplinarypunishment since the hospital is run by the army. Yet, there is no d irect punishment forsexual harassment in the military disciplinary punishment. Therefore, the punishment ismade equivalent to the nearest one. However, because the superv isor has the authorityto punish, It is snll diff icdt to acrueve a practical problem solution n this case . This is

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due to the fact that most personnel do not aware of the sexual harassment problems.Thus the author suggests some solutions as follows:

1.The organization should have specific and clear policy on the preventionand solving procedures of the sexual harassment at work problems. Thiswill help facilitate understanding of the commanders. As they areImportant mechanism that will materialize the su ess of the sexualharassment at work solutions. The organization should also providetrairunq and develop grievance procedures that can be ettecnve foreveryone in the organization.

2.The Stale should issue a Iaw on sexual harassment with clear defi nitionsand s ope as well as providing protection to both men and women in allcareer fields and to both state and pnvate organizations includingprotection from the third party I.e. the clients.

3.Related state and private organizations should emphasize and give astrong attention to aner gender altitude. This will help create betterunderstanding of the problems to the society and help coordinate forprevention and solutions of the sexual harassment at work problems.