MORAL HARASSMENT DURING WORK AND FEMININE VULNERABILITY

Abstract

Current investigation is a bibliographical review on feminine vulnerability with regard to moral harassment. Moral harassment is defined as all vexation during work, especially when a hierarchy between people has been established. Horizontal moral harassment among people of the same occupation, although it exists, is more difficult to be proved in court. Literature shows that victims of moral harassment may be women and men but research in Brazil and in other countries reveals that most victims are females, who form a highly vulnerable group. Organizations should invest in behavior strategies in leadership and humanization on work so that guidelines on this ‘invisible’ phenomenon could be set. Repression measures should also be taken against such conduct since the victims undergo physical and psychic disorders due to such behavior which implies issues on hierarchical differences (vertical harassment) and on cultural, sexual, beliefs, race and others (horizontal harassment).