INTRODUCTION

Street harassment consists of unwanted comments, whirling-whistles,

catcalling, and other actions by strangers in public areas that can be unnerving

and discomforting. Simply put, street harassment promotes fear, and gives

women yet another reason to be on edge when out and about.

The researchers headed to this study because the researchers had

gathered and read different studies about street harassment that motivated them

to conduct their own research about catcalling. One of these, the study of

Hollaback and Cornell University in 2014 which they found out that 50% of

women over 22 countries had reported being groped or fondled because of street

harassment (2015).

It had been observed that this campaign should be stopped, this kind of

street harassment in the Philippines were not widely spread in the public. There

is a need to inform the people that catcalling is not just an uttered words of

compliment but can be considered as degrading and objectifying comments that

have a negative impact on women’s psychological well-being like self-

objectification in which a woman’s internalization of repeated objectification by

others. The women viewed themselves as represented of their body, body parts

and sexual function.

The women felt more conscious and ashamed about their body and body

parts that led to self-objectification on woman because as they experienced this

they felt anxious about how their body was evaluated by the strangers. As a

result, objectification affected the women’s cognitive or mental state.

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 Furthermore, the researcher was motivated to do this study because he

himself received unsolicited complimentary comments by strangers mostly truck

drivers and sidewalk vendors and to learn more about women’s street

harassment experiences specifically here in the Philippines and how Filipinas

deal with it. Thus, this study was conducted

Research Questions

1. Why women prone to street harassment according to:

1.1. Men’s Reason

1.2. Women’s Perspective

2. What are the effects of street harassment to women?

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Significance of the Study

This study will be beneficial to the following:

1. Men- This is to inform that street harassment is not an appropriate way

on how to get attention of a woman and for them to understand that

street harassment can have an effect on women and for them to

realize that it can also happen to their female love ones.

2. Women- This will help women understand what street harassment is,

and its possible psychological effect to them.

3. Students- This is to inform and spread awareness about street

harassment.

4. Parent- This will help them to have a broader knowledge about street

harassment and for them to educate and properly guide their children

about street harassment.

5. Advocates of Women’s Rights- This will help them to provide a study that

would stand as a stronger basis for their campaigns and advocacies.

Scope and Limitation

This study focused on the cause and effect to women as the victim of

street harassment. The researcher selected five female and five male

participants in Grade 11 here in Poblacion Polomolok National High School.

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Conceptual Framework

Street Formulate Cause & Effect

Process
Input

Output
Harassment to guide of Street
Women questions Harassment to
In-depth Women
Interview
Collecting data
from the
respondents.

Figure no.1 Women, Victim of Street Harassment: Cause and effect

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 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Street harassment is a widespread and frustrating problem for American

urban women in the pre-suffrage era as described by one researcher (Johnson,

2011). As a means of preventing harassment as early as 1909, The Women’s

Municipal League in New York City promoted the women only subway cars

(Kearl 2011; Schultz and Gilbert 1996). In other countries such as Japan, they

had women-only transit cars since 1912 (Krieger 2012); at the present time, 15

countries offer women-only options on public transportation (Jones, 2011). A

brief movement was held to outlaw flirting or the practice of "auto-invitation" in

the 1920 (Coe, 2013). Therefore street harassment has been made clear from

these accounts that it is not a problem unique to the modern era.

Playing a central role in the battle against street harassment are the

internet and other technologies. Whereas CNN reported "verbal harassment,

groping, stalking and indecent exposure are a common problem for women in

Egypt. Harass Map as an innovative tool, uses online and offline technology to

invite women to speak out, share stories and stand up to harassers (Lee and

Kermeliotis, 2012’)

It would be more likely that sexual harassment on the streets would be

deemed as unacceptable behavior to everyone if more researches, both

qualitative and quantitative, on the daily experiences of women being sexually

harassed on the streets are being conducted and its results and conclusions be

interpreted to the public. Through research, the issue of sexual harassment

would spawn conversations and confrontations in local communities, eventually,

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becoming a regional and national issue. The increase in activism, the

strengthening of laws, and outreach to the victims are necessary in order to

combat street sexual harassment are ways to respond to women's need to feel

safe, free, and unafraid to walk on the streets in the cities they live in (Kearl,

2010).

Springer’s research concluded that women who has been harassed or

women who witness another woman being harassed both experience and feel

negative emotions towards man. Sexism influences what women will feel and

how will they behave towards man (2010).

As stated in one of the works published by Manila Bulletin last 2016, a

Social Weather Stations (SWS) study concluded that sixty percent of the women

in the country have been victims of sexual harassment in public places at least

once in their lives. It also showed that eighty-eight percent of these women had

ages ranging from eighteen to twenty-four. One out of two women declared that

after being harassed, they did nothing. Their fundamental reason, with thirty-nine

percent of agreement, that those acts “were just minor.” Twenty-three percent of

women believed that they might put their lives at risk if they took activity against

the harassment. Over eighty percent of the women said they might be urged to

report if the sanction on sexual harassments be stricter. Meanwhile, seventy

percent of the self-admitted men accept that stronger disciplines might stop them

from committing sexual harassment once more.

Women going to some other places with another person instead of being

alone to prevent this kind of unwanted actions caused by people tend to do this

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harassment was another common response for women by 31%. Most people

think there is a way to prevent street harassment. People tend to suggest more

surveillance and CCTV cameras for monitoring the surroundings be aware of this

kind of immoral acts and increased police presence environment or educational

seminars in schools and surroundings about moral ways to interact with unknown

and suspicious person information about street harassment as way of to curb

street harassment. More training and seminars should be conducted of law

enforcement and transit workers, barangay officials, great policemen, community

safety audits and awareness campaigns against street harassments.

One city in the Philippines provided a law to protect women against sexual

harassment. Quezon City called it the Gender and Development Ordinance that

aims to remove the unwanted harassment on the streets. Considered as light

violations includes, using words that embarrasses or humiliates a woman like

wolf-whistling, cat-calling, and asking a woman’s number while stalking, visual

and suggestive gestures such as winking are considered as medium violations.

For major violations, acts that includes pinching, touching, or brushing up against

the body of a woman are included. Violators caught stalking women or making

rude remarks in the city would be fined P1000-P5000 and jailed from one day to

one year (2016).

The president-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been accused

of sexual harassment after wolf-whistling a female journalist on a nationally-

televised press conference and was perceived as disrespecting women. While

asking a question about his Cabinet appointees, the female journalist was

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interrupted by the president with a light-hearted comment about her trying to get

his attention, then wolf whistling and breaking into a short serenade. The

journalist continued trying to ask President Duterte as he smiled while some

other reporters laughed. Because the president is a straight-talker and an

authentic character who likes to joke and speak the language of the streets,

President Duterte said that such comments and actions of his should not be

taken seriously (Presse, 2016).

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 METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the research design and instruments used for the

study employed by the researcher regarding the cause and effect of street

harassment of women.

Research Design

This study is a descriptive qualitative type of research. The researcher

used the purposive sampling technique since it not necessary to cover up a huge

number of participants to get sufficient qualitative information to come up with

credible and clear findings. The participants were interviewed using an in-depth

interview so that the researcher can collect the narrative experiences of the

selected participants. The participants of this study were the Grade 11 students

who had experienced harassment on street.

Research Instrument

The researcher will used an in-depth interview to know the cause and

effect to women when they encountered harassment on street.

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 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

This chapter presents the analysis of the information gathered in relation

to the research objectives.

Problem no.1 Why do women prone to street harassment according to:

1.1 Men’s Reason

1.2 Women’s Perspective

Table.1 Essential Themes and Thematic Statements of the participants about:

Women, Victim of Street Harassment: Cause and Effect

Essential Themes Thematic Statements

Women can easily experience harassment

because of maniac man lusting in every
sexy woman.

Women can easily harass on street because

of the stereotype that women are weak and
fragile.

Women experience harassment on street

because women are wearing revealing
1.1Women’s Perspective why they clothes, she only walks home by herself or
women new to that place can usually
experience street harassment. experience street harassment.

Women easily harass on street It because

of how the girl acts and what they wear that
could catch boys attention.

Women are easily harassed because most

of men nowadays especially some laborers
are maniacs.

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 Not wearing proper attire that’s why boys
are triggered to harass them.

It because of what they wear.

Other women gave no self-discipline that’s

why they get harassed because of not
1.2Men’s Reason why women prone wearing proper attire.

to street harassment. Physical qualities that male want such as

being pretty and has a sexy body.

It because the woman gives the wants and

the needs of every man.

1.1 Women’s perspective why they experience street harassment

Street Harassment refers to the women who had experienced harassment

on street. This theme has the most number of participants’ sentiments in

expressing the women’s perspective on why women easily harassed on street.

From the statement of participant no. 1 said that “Women can easily experience

harassment because of maniac man lusting in every sexy woman.” Participant

no. 2 said that “Women can easily harass on street because of the stereotype

that women are weak and fragile.” Participant no. 3 said that “Women experience

harassment on street because of some reasons, women are wearing revealing

dresses, she only walks home by herself or women new to that place can usually

experience street harassment.” Participant no.4 said that “Women easily

harassed on street it because of how the girl acts and what they wear that could

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catch men’s attention.” Participant no.5 said that “Women are harassed because

most of men nowadays especially some laborers are maniacs.”

As I gathered all the answers of my participants, the reason why

women experience street harassment is because of the boys who had lack of

self-discipline and has no respect for the girls, another problem is women are

wearing inappropriate clothes such as sexy shorts, lose sleeves and fitted jeans

that causes a women to be harassed on street but even though that girls are

wearing proper, there are some boys who are still harassing them, example of

harassment is catcalling, that making a whistle, shout or comment of a sexual

nature passing by. Indeed women should do something to stop this kind of act for

themselves and for the others.

1.2 Men’s reason why women prone to street harassment

Street Harassment refers to the women who had experienced harassment on

street. This theme has the most number of participants’ sentiments in expressing

the Men’s reason why women prone to street harassment.

Sexual harassment is above all, a manifestation of power relations women

are much more likely to be victims of street harassment precisely because they

more often than men lack power, are in more vulnerable and insecure positions,

lack self-confidence, or have been socialized to suffer in silence. In order to

understand why women endure the vast majority of street harassment, it is

important to look at some of the underlying reasons of this phenomenon. From

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the statement of Participant no.1 said that “Girls are prone to street harassment

because of not wearing proper attire that’s why boys are triggered to harass

them.” Participant no.2 said that “Girls are prone to this kind of harassment it

because of what they wear.” Participant no.3 said that “Other women have no

self-discipline that’s why they get harassed because of not wearing proper attire.”

Participant no.4 said that “Physical qualities that male want such as being pretty

and has a sexy body.” Participant no.5 said that “Women are prone to street

harassment because woman gives the wants and the needs of every man.”

As I gathered all the answers of my participants, the reasons why women

prone to street harassment is because of what they wear especially in the public

places, where they wear inappropriate clothes and by that, boys catch their

attention in short other girls have no self-discipline, because they know already

that if they wear inappropriate clothes they might be harassed on street. Next

reason is the physical qualities that men want such as pretty face and sexy body,

that’s the reason why men harass women on street. And also I believed that men

were doing these street harassments to make themselves feel superior and at

the same time just to get the attention of women they like who pass by.

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Problem no. 2 What are the effects of street harassment to women?

Table.2 Essential Themes and Thematic Statements of the participants about the

Women, Victim of Street Harassment: Cause and Effect

Essential Themes Thematic Statements

It can cause phobia.

It affects emotional, physical, social and

mental effects.

Effects of Street harassment. It affects the mental state of the women.

It affects the physical and mental health.

It affects the women’s self-confidence.

2. Effects of street harassment

Street harassment affects women from all backgrounds, races, classes, and

sexualities. Street harassment at work can have very serious consequences both

for the harassed individual as well as for other working women who experience it

secondhand. In order to understand why women endure the vast majority of

sexual harassment, it is important to look at some of the underlying effects of this

phenomenon. From the statement of the participant no.1 said that “The effects of

street harassment to women is it can cause phobia.” Participant no.2 said “It

affects emotional, physical, social and mental effects of the woman.” Participant

no.3 said “It affects the mental state of the women.” Participant no.4 said “It

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affects the physical and mental health.” Participant no.5 said “It affects the

women’s self-confidence.”

As I gathered all the answers of my participants, the women felt more

conscious and ashamed about their body, body parts that led to self-

objectification on woman because as they experienced this they felt anxious

about how their body was evaluated by strangers. As a result, self-objectification

affected the women’s cognitive and mental state, and also I believe that every

day there is a chance that something tragic might be happen to them because of

this kind of harassment.

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 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Conclusion

1. Women are prone to street harassment because of what they wear and

addition to that there are some boys that has no respect and self-discipline

towards girls.

1.2 The causes why women are being harassed on street is because of

wearing sexy shorts, fitted jeans, sleeveless and other type of clothes that are

revealing and catches the attention of the guys in public that’s why girls are

prone to street harassment because of this.

2. The effects of street harassment to women is they get trauma aside from

trauma it also affects their cognitive and mental state, and every day, there is a

chance that they might be raped or possibly they might be killed by the man who

had lust on them.

Recommendation

1. Women must wear proper clothes whenever they go out that fits to their event,

so that they are not prone to harassment.

1.2. Women must wear proper clothes, do not wear revealing clothes such as

sexy shorts, lose sleeves, see-through shirts and ripped jeans that show the part

your sexy body so that you will not experience harassment on street.

2. For students, especially females, this study recommend them to be alert and

vigilant to avoid experiencing street harassment. Students are advised to not

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tolerate such demeaning acts and to report immediately to the right authorities if

they were to go through and even witness street harassment such as stalking

touching, pinching or brushing up against the body in order to implement the

proper disciplinary actions. They are recommended not to allow street

harassment but at the same time not to physically fight back for their own safety.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cornell International Survey on Street Harassment. (2014). Retrieved March 08,

2016, from http://www.ihollaback.org/cornell-international-survey-on-
street-harassment/
Jones, S. (2011, June 30). In Foreign Policy. “Does women-only transportation
work?” Retrieved March 08, 2016 from
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/06/30/is_women_only_transportat
ion_the_solution
Johnson, T. (2011). “’Smashing the masher’: The early women's movement
against street harassment in America.” Clayman Institute for Gender
Research at Stanford University. Retrieved March 08, 2016, from 56
http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2011/smashing-masherearlywomensmovement-
against-street-harassment-america
Kearl, H.(2010). Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and
Welcoming for Women. Santa Barbara: Praeger.
Krieger, D. (2012, February 08 ). In The Atlantic Cities. “Why women-only transit
options have caught on.”. Retrieved March 08, 2016, from
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/02/why-women-only-
transit-optionshave-caught/1171/
Lee, I., & Kermeliotis, T. (2012, December 21). “'Harassment map' helps
Egyptian women stand up for their rights.”. Retrieved March 08,2016, from
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/21/world/africa/harassmap-egypt-mobile-
phones
Presse A.F. (2016, June 2). Duterte in hot water for wolf whistling GMA7
reporter. Retrieve September 21, 2016, from
http://www.rappler.com/nation/135097-philippines-duterte-hot-water-wolf-
whistle-reporter
Springer. (2010, March 22). Sexism: Cat-calls are detrimental to everyone.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 8, 2016 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100318093303.htm

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 APPENDIX A

February 26, 2019

BERNABE H. PALMA, JR.

School Principal II
Poblacion Polomolok National High School

Dear Sir,

Greetings of Peace!

In partial fulfillment of our requirements for our Practical Research subject, we,
the senior High School Student of Poblacion Polomolok National High School,
taking up Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, would like to ask
for your permission for us to conduct research study entitled Women, Victim of
Street Harassment: Cause and Effect.

We believe that you are with us in accomplishing this study as a compliance to

our Practical Research subject.

Your approval for us to conduct this study will be greatly appreciated. For further
inquiry, please contact us at 09105364400

Thank you very much.

Respectfully yours,

MARK JYSSIE M. HERNANDEZ

XI STEM-A Student

Noted by:

MITSHEROOS C. MENGUITA
Subject Teacher

APPROVED:

BERNABE H. PALMA, JR.

School Principal II
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 APPENDIX B

Interview Guide Question

1. Why do women prone to street harassment according to:

1.1. Men’s Reason

1.2. Women’s Perspective

2. What are the effects of street harassment to women?

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