FIELD WORK HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN JOURNALISTS IN ISLAMABAD

Abstract

The current study looks at the harassment of women journalists during fieldwork in Islamabad. It puts this issue in the larger context of Pakistan's social, cultural, and professional environment. Women reporters face both physical and psychological harassment, which impacts their safety, confidence, and careers. The system has flaws, such as barriers within the culture that encourage silence and under-reporting, although laws exist. A qualitative study methodology was employed in this study, where in-depth and face-to-face interviews were conducted with female reporters in different media houses in Islamabad. The thematic analysis contributed to the formation of insights among these women as to their experiences with harassment in the workplace and in the field. The study centered on their socioeconomic status, forms of harassment, coping and reaction of their institutions. The findings show that the primary sources of harassment are male dominance and cultural barriers leading to an atmosphere of discrimination and fear. According to the respondents, mental pressure, loss of confidence and stagnation of their careers were the consequences of the harassment since women tended to doubt their professional devotion to journalism. There was also a problem of underreporting; most reporters did not file complaints because of stigma, fear of reprisals and a general lack of support by their organizations. The analysis finds that addressing the problem of harassing women journalists needs to be done on multiple levels.