Intrusion on the Pavement: An In-Depth Look at Street Sexual Harassment in Panama City in terms of gender and sexual orientation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37387/ipc.v12i3.390Keywords:
street sexual harassment, gender violence, labor market, public space, securityAbstract
This study seeks to understand the relationship between street sexual harassment, perceptions of safety and employment decisions, motivated by limited awareness of the issue and its consequences. In 2017, the national debate on a draft law to legislate street sexual harassment showed how normalized this behavior is, underscoring the need for a solid empirical basis to inform these debates. The study addresses how street sexual harassment acts as an invisible trigger that significantly affects the lives of people, especially women and queer people. Through a review of the literature and a survey carried out in the metropolitan area of Panama City, we explore these dynamics of violence contextualized in gender terms. The analysis indicates that 75.4% of women report street sexual harassment, a figure that increases to 93.7% with a list of specific behaviors. For men, 39.1% report harassment, increasing to 67.5% with the list. The results suggest that even types of harassment considered less violent can affect perceptions of safety and employment decisions. Sexually diverse people also report a higher incidence of harassment compared to heterosexuals. The level of education and area of residence are significant variables, with a higher incidence of harassment reported among people with university education and residents of Panama Centro and San Miguelito. The study warns about the need for specific interventions to mitigate this form of intrusion perpetrated mostly by men in public spaces.
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