Worke Mulugeta Dile, Koricha Zewdie Birhanu, Debelew Gurmesa Tura
Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Department of Population and Family Health, Faculty of Public Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21792. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06315-z.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a pervasive issue that disproportionately affects women and is linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes. Women employed in insecure and irregular job sectors, such as hospitality, are particularly vulnerable due to precarious working conditions and power imbalances. Despite its significance, there is limited empirical evidence on the prevalence, characteristics, and determinants of workplace sexual harassment in Ethiopia, hampering the development of effective intervention strategies. Thus, this study determined the prevalence and identified the organizational and individual-level factors that influence the experience of workplace sexual harassment in Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 50 hospitality workers, achieving a response rate of 100% and ensuring a representative sample of the target population. Data were collected using structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires to capture individual, workplace, and societal factors influencing sexual harassment. The Kobo toolbox was used to collect data. Linear mixed-effects modeling was employed to analyze the hierarchical nature of the data, accounting for variations at multiple levels, including individual worker characteristics, workplace environments, and broader socio-cultural dynamics. Fixed effects were expressed as β-coefficients with 95% confidence intervals. The statistical significance of the findings was determined with a p-value < 0.05. The findings reveal that 81.5% of women employees experienced sexual harassment, with managers perpetrating 60.5% of the harassment against women. Factors such as perception and neuroticism were the individual-level characteristics positively associated with the sexual harassment experience, and having a college diploma or above had a negative association. Similarly, gender ratio, precarious employment, and working in a hotel were the organizational-level variables positively associated with sexual harassment experience. This study offers novel empirical evidence on workplace sexual harassment in Ethiopia, contributing to academic discourse and policy development. Using linear mixed-effects modeling strengthens the study's analytical depth by capturing multi-level influences often overlooked in previous research. Policymakers and employers must prioritize comprehensive workplace interventions that address structural vulnerabilities and foster safer, more inclusive work environments.
职场性骚扰是一个普遍存在的问题，对女性的影响尤为严重，且与身心健康状况不佳有关。在酒店业等不稳定和非正规就业部门工作的女性，由于工作条件不稳定和权力失衡，特别容易受到性骚扰。尽管其重要性不言而喻，但关于埃塞俄比亚职场性骚扰的发生率、特征和决定因素的实证证据有限，这阻碍了有效干预策略的制定。因此，本研究确定了埃塞俄比亚巴赫达尔市职场性骚扰的发生率，并确定了影响职场性骚扰经历的组织和个人层面的因素。对50名酒店员工进行了横断面调查，回复率达到100%，确保了目标人群的代表性样本。通过结构化访谈和自填问卷收集数据，以获取影响性骚扰的个人、工作场所和社会因素。使用Kobo工具箱收集数据。采用线性混合效应模型分析数据的层次性质，考虑多个层面的差异，包括个体员工特征、工作场所环境和更广泛的社会文化动态。固定效应以β系数表示，并带有95%的置信区间。研究结果的统计学显著性通过p值<0.05来确定。研究结果显示，81.5%的女性员工经历过性骚扰，其中60.5%的性骚扰是由经理实施的。感知和神经质等因素是与性骚扰经历呈正相关的个人层面特征，而拥有大专及以上学历则呈负相关。同样，性别比例、不稳定就业和在酒店工作是与性骚扰经历呈正相关的组织层面变量。本研究为埃塞俄比亚职场性骚扰提供了新的实证证据，有助于学术讨论和政策制定。使用线性混合效应模型通过捕捉先前研究中经常被忽视的多层次影响，增强了研究的分析深度。政策制定者和雇主必须优先采取全面的职场干预措施，解决结构性脆弱性问题，营造更安全、更包容的工作环境。
