Not So Silent: How Social Support is Given and Received in Dealing with Sexual Harassment in Sri Lankan Workplaces

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore how silence, secrecy and censorship related to sexual harassment are fragmented through dialogue and information sharing among social networks, leading to different types of social support given and received. In-depth interviews with 40 respondents and focus group discussions with four groups were carried out under the qualitative research approach. The theory of social support was employed as the theoretical basis of the study. The findings indicated that through dialogue and information sharing related to sexual harassment within social networks of friends, family, co-workers and sometimes superiors, women gain and give emotional, informational, instrumental and appraisal support, emphasizing the many instances when the issue becomes open, non-privatized, and social. Stemming from these findings, implications for managers in terms of using social support as a means of dealing with sexual harassment in organizations are discussed.