How Can Men Protect Themselves from Mental Harassment by Female Co-workers? Seeking Advice and Experiences

Options for Men Facing Mental Harassment by Women in the Workplace

Please let me know what options men have to protect themselves from female mental harassment in the workplace. Why do people think that women are innocent? Why do people have too much sympathy for women? Why do men and women support only females? The perception is that men are stronger than women. Women can carry a baby for 9 months and endure the pain of childbirth, showing that women are more powerful than men.

There is a concern about the misuse of laws for women's protection. Why is there no helpline for men when they are mentally harassed by women? Please share your experiences and ideas on how to deal with women at home and in the workplace.

Topics to Consider

- 'The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace'
- 'The Dowry Prohibition'
- 'The Eve-Teasing'
- 'Sexual Harassment at Workplace'
- 'Gender Inequality'

It is seen as an achievement for a woman to insult a man, and everyone feels proud of it rather than punishing her.

Enactment of Laws for Men's Protection from Domestic Violence

Please enact a law on the protection of men from domestic violence, specifically focusing on mental harassment by women.

Regards

It is interesting to note that a woman is not only speaking in favor of men but has initiated the discussion herself. As per my knowledge, even the Indian judiciary has acknowledged harassment by men against women (especially in a marriage) and has made some room for this possibility. I am not aware of laws protecting men from women (or from other men, too!) at the workplace.

Sapna Bhavnani's Quote on Harassment

Jennifer, your topic reminds me of Sapna Bhavnani's recent quote on Facebook. She is a celebrity and a socialite. It's not verbatim, but she said that anybody can abuse and harass anybody. The motive is to stop violence against everyone.

I don't know if the thread starter is male or female. Let me opine.

Biological Differences

Biologically, men are stronger than women in terms of muscle mass and strength. Women are considered the weaker sex. Favor is always shown to weaker individuals.

Pain Endurance

Your point about women carrying a baby for 9 months is related to pain endurance rather than strength. They tend to have higher pain endurance than men.

Incidents of Harassment

Apart from a few isolated incidents of females harassing males, more incidents are reported to be the opposite. In those incidents you mentioned, there were no physical injuries reported for the men involved; it may have been just teasing.

Therefore, in my opinion, supporting females with anti-harassment policies is justified.

Regards,
Pon, Chennai

I am with Aditya's remarks: "It is interesting to note that a woman is not only speaking in favor of men but has initiated the discussion herself."

Human Nature and Law Misuse

Coming to the issue you raised, I think there's one aspect of human nature that everyone seems to be missing out on. At the end of the day, every male and female is a human being. Any law, rule, idea, act, or opportunity that can be 'used' can also be 'misused/abused.' The gender isn't and shouldn't be the focus.

If one were to go back a few years into Indian history, we can see how laws promulgated to handle specific issues, like POTA, COFEPOSA, 498A, DVA, the License Raj in vogue till the 1990s, and the acts that give specific rights/privileges to government officials, have been both of great use to the target audience/expected victims and have also led to their being misused by some rotten apples among those for whom that very law was meant to protect.

In our Indian context, it's quite easy to 'frame' someone, I guess. All one needs to do is to file a case—criminal or civil—and let the law take its course, which could take years. Until then, the 'framed person' would face the ignominy of the consequences of the situation. Whether the complaint was right or wrong in the first place will be decided in the court after years. To add to this situation, the latest fad is the "Trial by Media," though the media has been at the forefront in exposing many misdemeanors.

Differences in Indian and USA Laws

There are two aspects of Indian laws that are very different and totally inadequate vis-a-vis the laws of the USA:

1. Factoring in the basic aspect of human behavior that a law can be misused and incorporating into the law the consequences of any such misuse/abuse, sort of addressing the 'what if abused/misused?' scenario to a sufficient level/scale. The punishments for the complainant are far less severe than for an accused—so the disincentive for a false/wrong complaint is not very high, or to put it another way, the incentive to misuse/abuse still remains.

2. The balanced approach—If one were to see the scope of our Indian laws, when something drastic happens, the action swings from one end of the pendulum to the other extreme. In the process, the scope for another fresh set of unwanted and avoidable situations is automatically built into the solution for the current problem.

@Pon—With respect to your remarks "There was no physical injury reported to men...," I think you have missed out on the whole point of the repercussions on any victim, male or female, in such situations. Ask any psychologist, and he/she will tell you that 70-80% of the trauma the victims suffer from in sexual harassment/rape situations is emotional/mental rather than physical. Again, emotional/mental trauma takes years—yes, I am not exaggerating—to heal. If the victim is a child, it could extend through his/her whole adult lifespan (just check with a Child Psychologist), meaning lifelong trauma.

At least, that's my take on the subject.

Regards,
TS

Nice to see the discussion initiated and ongoing for understanding the other part of the story. There are two different aspects: one is at the workplace, and the other is in the family structure. Both are totally different and must be handled/discussed separately.

It is often said that men are considered stronger and the initiators of harassment (specifically sexual), while women are always seen as victims and at the receiving end of the story.

This perception stems from the biological and physical build of men, which allows them to force women into harassment or acts of sexual offense. Women can only resist through physical struggle, attempting to harm the man physically, and crying and screaming, but they may not be able to stop him due to their biological/physical build. On the other hand, women cannot force a man into a sexual interaction against his will. They cannot physically compel a man into such a situation. Biologically, men are more prone to these acts as they are easily led by their desires and situations. Men may not resist their temptations, instincts, or desires as women can, so the laws and actions are often inclined towards protecting women and are considered justified.

Harassment by women typically extends to mental harassment or verbal abuse, but this goes against the fundamental instincts and nature of women, making such occurrences rare and not as serious.

Furthermore, harassment within marriage is a completely different issue, influenced by the makeup of our Indian society and the fundamental structure of families. This is a vast and complex subject to discuss.

I hope I have added some value to this discussion.

Regards.

Good to see that we are all becoming sensitive to talk about emotional distress and mental harassment. I tried to find the law which covers mental harassment, but unfortunately, our government is not so sensitive. I was also looking for a medical policy that covers psychological illness, but didn't find any. I am a victim of mental harassment at my workplace, which led me into depression and forced me to quit the job. Even though I left the job in March 2013, I have not been able to find a new job. I still take the minimum dosage of medicine. In India, people are not ready to talk about these issues openly, which is why there is no law for the same. The only option left for the victim is to suffer.

Regards, Shipra

I have started working with an IT company, and I have also faced a similar harassment situation. My manager is a married lady, and her behavior is not good towards all employees. A person in a managerial position should be polite to their subordinates, but she lacks the qualities of a leader or a manager. Despite this, the managing director is in her favor. This has led me to the decision to resign from my position and suggest hiring a lady HR for these issues. There should be laws in India that support men as well.

Meaning of Statutory Compliance

What is the meaning of Statutory Compliance? Some IT companies do not have any laws protecting women, whereas in some companies, men face harassment from their bosses and managers. This is unethical and unprofessional. In my experience, nowadays, men are more honest and loyal to an organization. Therefore, there should be laws generated for men in an organization, ensuring they have privacy to work as honest workers.

Regards

Understanding the Legal Framework for Harassment

Your problem is being positively acknowledged. Laws are framed based on general occurrences, including crime data and offensive acts committed by men against women. Men should be aware of laws that primarily favor women due to the misdeeds perpetrated by men. If women engage in harassment against men, whether at home or in the workplace, it should also be addressed. The future is for both men and women.

Legal Protections for Men

To my knowledge, existing laws are sufficient to penalize women for harassing men. The Domestic Violence Act applies not only to women but also to men, providing legal protection. Even instances of psychological harassment by women towards men at home can be addressed under the Domestic Violence Act.

Addressing Workplace Harassment

Therefore, under this law, both women and men are equally protected. In cases of workplace harassment by women against men, the perpetrators can be held accountable. You can file a police complaint against so-called female bosses or colleagues.

All the best!