how is sexual harrassment a major problem in india
Answers
Why are women in India so often blamed for being raped or sexually assaulted? Though victim-blaming defies reason, the belief that women provoke—or deserve—sexual assault is widespread. Explanations range from “boys will be boys" to “jeans cause rape", but men themselves are rarely blamed.
A recent documentary by The Quint explored social attitudes that normalize rape, presenting it as “consensual". What appears to be an oxymoron, points to a macabre explanation: beyond legality, sexual assault takes on deeper, varied meanings based on social and cultural context. Often, justifying rape is merely the tip of a larger “iceberg" of patriarchal attitudes. These are explored in several surveys designed by the Lok Foundation and administered between 2014 and 2017 by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) to between 72,384 and 168,165 respondents across India.
Clothing and control: Attitudes towards women’s clothing are revealing. In the first survey, men and women were asked what they considered “inappropriate" clothing for young women out with friends. Skirts, unacceptable to about 88%, and pants to 78%, were frowned upon across genders, a testament to women themselves being co-opted by patriarchy. Acceptable to 94%, only a sari/salwar-kameez was considered appropriate in public. Preference for modest attire might reflect preoccupations with izzat (honour) and fear of honour-related violence. Such attitudes may also indicate support for the idea that women dressed “inappropriately" somehow deserve shame or assault. Urban dwellers are more accepting of pants and skirts—by almost 20 and 10 percentage points (as compared to rural dwellers), respectively. This is likely owing to increased exposure, and is only a relative improvement.
Answer:
It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person's sex. Harassment can include "sexual harassment" or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
It refers to behavior (either physical or verbal) that is of sexual nature and against the wishes and dignity of a woman.