Abstract
Since last decade, as the number of working women is increased, their vulnerability to
harassment has also increased all around the globe. In Pakistan, working women are
also facing harassment. In this regard, present study is conducted to examine the
psychological effects of harassment on women in public and private sectors and to
investigate the coping strategies adopted by them. Data is collected through survey
method and a sample of 300 women working in Lahore is taken through convenience
sampling. Equal representation is given to both the public and private sectors.
Because of sensitive nature of the study, only willing-to-participate women are
approached. Questionnaire is used as tool of data collection and t-test is applied to
analyze the data. Results reveal that there is more harassment in private sector as
compared to public sector. In private sector, majority of harassed women are
depressed and anxious at a severe level and in public sector this experience is
moderate. Harassment is mostly avoided, ignored and not reported. Therefore,
workplace harassment is identified as a major issue for working women in Lahore that
must be addressed by government in order to ensure safe working environment for
women.
