Multilevel power dynamics shaping employer anti-sexual harassment efforts in Lebanon

Bibliographic Data

ID6058161
AuthorsCharlotte Karam, Charlotte M Karam (0000-0001-5118-4012, American University of Beirut), May Ghanem (American University of Beirut)
Year2021
Volume40
Issue4
Pages375-391
Publication date2021-05-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEqual Opportunities International (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1758-7093 • E-ISSN: 2040-7149
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/edi-04-2019-0116
OpenAlexW2980456978
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited34

Purpose The #MeToo movement against sexual harassment (SH) has sparked a sense of familiarity, and collective anger among women, highlighting it as a pervasive and common experience across the globe. The purpose of this paper is to argue that despite shared experiences and such transnational movements, the ways in which SH is actually understood and combated are likely to be different in disparate National Business Systems (NBS). Through the analysis, the authors unpack these differences by paying specific attention to the multilevel power dynamics shaping how employers and their key stakeholders understand and respond to SH in Lebanon. Design/methodology/approach Against the backdrop of the complex and inefficient Lebanese NBS, the authors adopt a cross-cultural feminist analytic framework and engage in an iterative qualitative analysis of over 208 pages of transcriptions from relevant multisector, multi-stakeholder interactive sessions. Based on the analysis, the authors propose a series of first- and second-order concepts and themes that help us to trace how power shapes local SH understandings and related efforts. Findings The findings highlight the simultaneous influence of power through geopolitical forces external to Lebanon (i.e. power over through North-centricism and othering; power to through comparative perspectives and SDG regulations), combined with local forces embedded within the specific NBS (i.e. power over through negative attitudes and NBS specificities; power to through positive business efforts and local multistakeholder mobilizing). Originality/value The findings demonstrate the importance of paying attention to the interaction between power, contextual embeddedness and geopolitical considerations in attempts to advance SH theorization

Embeddedness · Geopolitics · Globe · Harassment · Originality · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Stakeholder · Computer Science · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social Psychology

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