Why do educated men harass female colleagues at the workplace? Psyche of the Sexual Harasser

The question of educated men sexually harassing women raises doubts about whether education alone can prevent misconduct. Does sexual harassment have anything to do with the education level of either the perpetrator or the victim? Does being a CEO of a company or a school dropout make someone more or less likely to be a sexual harasser? And is it even appropriate to compare education with sexual harassment?

Awareness initiatives like PoSH training in India play an important role in prevention by addressing misconceptions and guiding workplace behaviour. Studies done by the American Psychological Association and Fortis Healthcare state that sexual harassment has nothing to do with sexual desire. It has more to do with the power and abuse of that power and authority. Sexual harassment is a manifestation of power play between the two sexes.

But what gives someone this kind of power over another? Power can stem from different sources, such as being in a position to influence promotions, salary, work, etc., or from factors like age, experience, physical size, or social or economic status. The imbalance is not so much from the power itself but the ability to abuse it by suppressing the victim.

Another study done by the University of Missouri-Columbia says the continued problem of sexual harassment lies in the fact that men and women define ‘power’ differently. For men, power comes from formal authority, whereas, for women, anyone who can ‘harm’ them in any way is in a position of power. A comment a male co-worker sees as harmless flirting may feel like sexual harassment to a female colleague. Addressing these biases requires consistent awareness efforts, and guidance from an experienced PoSH trainer in India can help organisations build safer, more respectful workplaces.

These studies highlight the psychology of sexual harassers, showing that sexual harassment at work is less about desire and more about power and control.

In such a complex range of definitions and possible misunderstandings, how do you differentiate between an expression of interest and sexual harassment? The simplest way is going back to the definition. Sexual harassment, as defined under the law, means an unwelcome sexual advance which makes a woman uncomfortable, creates a hostile work environment or negatively affects her health and performance. It is not about wooing; it is about coercion.

In order to prevent the occurrences of sexual harassment in the workplace, training and sensitisation of
employees, whether male or female, becomes imperative. A formal training session or a PoSH E-Learning course can clear misconceptions in an organised manner in the shortest time possible. At Complykaro, we design training programs that help employees understand and practise respectful workplace behaviour while building PoSH Act awareness and its safeguards.

If you’d like to learn more about PoSH training and compliance, contact us for tailored guidance.