Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders

Introduction: The prevalence, pervasiveness, and minimization of sexual harassment and sexual assault (SHSA) within the Western Australian mining industry has been revealed in recent Australian reports and inquiries. However, there remains a gap in scholarship focusing on SHSA within the mining sect...

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Main Authors: Vrankovich, Sarah, Burns, Sharyn, Yam, Cheryl, Parker, Sharon, Hendriks, Jacqueline
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/97301
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author Vrankovich, Sarah
Burns, Sharyn
Yam, Cheryl
Parker, Sharon
Hendriks, Jacqueline
author_facet Vrankovich, Sarah
Burns, Sharyn
Yam, Cheryl
Parker, Sharon
Hendriks, Jacqueline
author_sort Vrankovich, Sarah
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Introduction: The prevalence, pervasiveness, and minimization of sexual harassment and sexual assault (SHSA) within the Western Australian mining industry has been revealed in recent Australian reports and inquiries. However, there remains a gap in scholarship focusing on SHSA within the mining sector, specifically that engages with mining employees to understand this issue. Methods: This study aimed to fill this gap by exploring the experiences and perspectives of Western Australian mining employees in relation to SHSA. Through qualitative research methods, stakeholders (n = 30) from various industry roles (e.g., front-line operations, administrative staff) participated in semi-structured interviews. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Results: The study revealed diverse perspectives of SHSA among participants, highlighting how this issue is understood, addressed, and discussed within the workplace. While some participants recognized positive shifts in workplace culture, it became apparent that additional efforts are needed to tackle the underlying and persistent factors that contribute to sexism, misogyny, and, ultimately, SHSA. Participants shared their perspectives regarding strategies and initiatives that could effectively combat SHSA within the industry. Discussion: This study constitutes a significant contribution to the limited body of research on SHSA in the Western Australian mining sector, offering valuable insights and recommendations for future prevention initiatives.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-973012025-05-20T01:09:56Z Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders Vrankovich, Sarah Burns, Sharyn Yam, Cheryl Parker, Sharon Hendriks, Jacqueline Australia assault harassment mining qualitative data sexual violence workplace Humans Sexual Harassment Female Qualitative Research Mining Male Western Australia Adult Sex Offenses Interviews as Topic Workplace Middle Aged Humans Sexual Harassment Qualitative Research Sex Offenses Mining Adult Middle Aged Workplace Western Australia Female Male Interviews as Topic Introduction: The prevalence, pervasiveness, and minimization of sexual harassment and sexual assault (SHSA) within the Western Australian mining industry has been revealed in recent Australian reports and inquiries. However, there remains a gap in scholarship focusing on SHSA within the mining sector, specifically that engages with mining employees to understand this issue. Methods: This study aimed to fill this gap by exploring the experiences and perspectives of Western Australian mining employees in relation to SHSA. Through qualitative research methods, stakeholders (n = 30) from various industry roles (e.g., front-line operations, administrative staff) participated in semi-structured interviews. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Results: The study revealed diverse perspectives of SHSA among participants, highlighting how this issue is understood, addressed, and discussed within the workplace. While some participants recognized positive shifts in workplace culture, it became apparent that additional efforts are needed to tackle the underlying and persistent factors that contribute to sexism, misogyny, and, ultimately, SHSA. Participants shared their perspectives regarding strategies and initiatives that could effectively combat SHSA within the industry. Discussion: This study constitutes a significant contribution to the limited body of research on SHSA in the Western Australian mining sector, offering valuable insights and recommendations for future prevention initiatives. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/97301 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1432990 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext
spellingShingle Australia
assault
harassment
mining
qualitative data
sexual violence
workplace
Humans
Sexual Harassment
Female
Qualitative Research
Mining
Male
Western Australia
Adult
Sex Offenses
Interviews as Topic
Workplace
Middle Aged
Humans
Sexual Harassment
Qualitative Research
Sex Offenses
Mining
Adult
Middle Aged
Workplace
Western Australia
Female
Male
Interviews as Topic
Vrankovich, Sarah
Burns, Sharyn
Yam, Cheryl
Parker, Sharon
Hendriks, Jacqueline
Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
title Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
title_full Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
title_fullStr Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
title_full_unstemmed Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
title_short Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Western Australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
title_sort sexual harassment and sexual assault in the western australian mining industry: a qualitative examination of the perceptions of key stakeholders
topic Australia
assault
harassment
mining
qualitative data
sexual violence
workplace
Humans
Sexual Harassment
Female
Qualitative Research
Mining
Male
Western Australia
Adult
Sex Offenses
Interviews as Topic
Workplace
Middle Aged
Humans
Sexual Harassment
Qualitative Research
Sex Offenses
Mining
Adult
Middle Aged
Workplace
Western Australia
Female
Male
Interviews as Topic
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/97301