مزاحمت خیابانی در میان زنان؛ ازتجربه‌های تروماتیک تا حساسیت‌زدایی(مورد مطالعه: دختران دانشجوی دانشگاه یاسوج)

یافته‌ها حاکی از آن است که شرایط زمینه‌ای، ویژگی‌های جامعه مردسالار است که فرد با زندگی در جامعه با آن درگیر است. عدم رعایت ضوابط پوشش و آرایش و تابوشکنی، شرایط علی را به وجود می‌آورد که باعث بازخواست تابوشکنی زنان می‌شود. مقوله‌ی هسته‌ی پژوهش نیز «از تجربه احساسی تروماتیک تا حساسیت‌زدایی» است؛ بدین ترتیب تجربه دختران از مزاحمت خیابانی بر روی یک پیوستار قابل توضیح است، به عبارتی برای برخی تجربه‌ای تروماتیک با ترس‌های ویرانگر و برای برخی دیگر امری عادی، پیش پاافتاده و بی اهمیت است. نتیجه اینکه وجود مزاحمت های خیابانی به عنوان مصداقی از تبعیض جنسیتی و ناکارآمدی قوانین در جامعه علاوه بر پیامدهای منفی روانی برای فرد موجب به حاشیه رفتن زنان و بازتولید مردانگی هژمونیک می شود.

Extended abstract

Background & Purpose

Street harassment as an example of discrimination and violence against women is seen in many cities of Iran. According to Gardner (1995), street harassment includes verbal and non-verbal behaviors with a sexual nature (such as insults, taunting, shouting, molesting, staring, etc.) that are usually perpetrated by strangers in public or semi-public places against women and cannot be predicted based on age, ethnicity or social class. Taunting, vagrancy, and indecent acts in public, and the like are manifestations of street harassment (Jahani and Dolatabad, 2013). Sexual harassment may be more prevalent in countries with more traditional gender role stereotypes.

As a society with deep roots of tradition and gender ideology, Iran is no exception (Lahsaei and Yousefinejad, 2011).

According to the definitions of street harassment, women in public places primarily experience most of this type of harassment, and considering the requirements of modern life and the greater presence of women in society, it is natural for them to face this issue more. Although there are no precise official statistics on the extent of street harassment faced by women, the lack of such statistics does not indicate its absence, as various researches confirm a high level of this issue (Sahabi et al., 2009; Mohseni, 2009; Heidari Chroudeh, 010). Therefore, the present research seeks to study the contexts, causes, perceptions, and consequences of street harassment from the perspective of those involved using an interpretive approach.

Method

This research seeks to shed light on female students' experiences of street harassment and hidden layers of this social problem and uses a grounded theory approach. The interviewees were selected through the purposive sampling method, and a semi-structured interview was employed with them. Data were collected by the researcher's participation in the site and interviewing with 18 people who had experienced street harassment. The age range of the interviewees was 18 to 35 years. In addition, We have also tried to apply maximum variety in the sample by including different disciplines and levels of education (Bachelor, MA, and Ph.D.) so that each groups' perspectives are included in the coding and classification process, and the subject is examined from different dimensions. Collecting field data continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was performed using theoretical coding based on three stages of open, axial, and selective coding.

Results

Analysis of the data revealed that three conditions create this phenomenon: contextual conditions, causal conditions, and intervening conditions. These conditions refer to the objective and mental aspects of individuals. Characteristics of a patriarchal society were identified as the contextual conditions for street harassment. These conditions were identified in four core categories: patriarchal ideology, social learning in the vicious cycle of socialization, the inefficiency of the legal system, and gender discrimination.

Causal conditions of street harassment also include some of the behaviors perpetrated by women, such as failure to adhere to dressing rules and make-up (inappropriate clothing, excessive make-up, not adhering to society's dressing patterns, etc.) and violating taboos (rivalry with the harasser, flirting, Giving glad eye).

Intervening conditions do not directly cause women and girls to be harassed but affect the speed and extent of harassment. These conditions can be manifested in the form of the Situational factors of harassment. Situational factor is a representation of the temporal and spatial conditions and reactions of those around us. Being with others and asking them for help if necessary can help individuals create a sense of calmness.

The analysis of the interviews revealed two core categories: (1) Traumatic (negative) experiences and (2) Desensitization. Finally, a core category-''from traumatic emotional experiences to desensitization'- was obtained by combining the two categories. The girls' experience of street harassment can be explained on a continuum; In other words, these experiences are traumatic for some people and accompanied by a bitter and negative experience, and is insignificant and ordinary for others.

One of the important issues in harassment is the reaction of women to it. Interviews with participants revealed that they usually remain more silent in the face of harassment for fear of embarrassment and the re-experiencing harassment or give implicit answers to the harasser that can have negative effects on their self-esteem and self-confidence. In such situations, women use different strategies that can be categorized into passive, active, and demonstrative strategies.

Finally, the consequences of street harassment have led to discrimination and patriarchal gender structures; In other words, the effects of this harassment restrict women at home, deprive them of many legal rights and their initiatives and opportunity for creativity and activism in the public arena. In general, the consequences of street harassment can be investigated in terms of individual, family, and social dimensions and preventive actions.

Conclusion

Although harassment and violence against women have a historical dimension, paying attention to it as a social issue is a new subject. This issue (street harassment) is viewed as a barrier to women for asserting their individual and social rights. The study of contextual variables indicates the prevalence and extensiveness of this phenomenon in society since many women and girls of different ages and various occupations and educations are coping with this problem. Because of its prevalence, most people do not consider mild harassment as street harassment and hide it by indifference denial. But social studies show that street harassment, despite its oversimplification, has different effects, including loss of personal security, reduced social participation of women, and loss of security in families. This pervasive problem negatively affects the socialization process in the long run and can cause social indifference toward street harassment. In other words, the inferior view of women, the patriarchy ideology, gender sociability, and lack of legal protections as the context of this social problem have exacerbated harassment.

This study indicates that girls show their experience of street harassment in the form of traumatic experiences and desensitization. According to the results, most girls have lost their sensitivity to violence and street harassment due to the prevalence and extensiveness of street harassment.

The present study is a part of a master's thesis in sociology, which was conducted under the supervision of supervisors and advisors (the first and the second authors) in 2019 at Yasouj University.

Funding: The authors of this study did not receive direct or indirect funding for its writing.

Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest

Acknowledgments: Researchers appreciate all the female students who helped us in this research by their participation in the research.