From Whistles to Harassment

Abstract

Street harassment refers to unwanted and unsolicited comments, whistles, and stares directed mostly at women in public spaces. It is a product of power dynamics where men intrude on a woman’s attention, invade her personal space, define her as a sexual object, and assert male dominance in a patriarchal society that favors masculine hegemony. This thesis aimed to investigate how can the age, socio-economic, class, and attractiveness of the predator as well as the location in which the accident occurred, impact women’s perceptions of such encounters as trivial encounters to brush over or as abhorring incidents to fear as harassment. The study followed feminist standpoint theory, utilizing as well of social psychology concepts to best understand women’s experiences. A total of 32 surveys and 10 interviews were conducted with LAU female students. The findings were analyzed following IPA and a synthesis of existing literature. Results show that catcalling sets itself as a form of Violence Against Women. The location of the incident, age, appearance, and socio-economic class all have an interrelated influence on women’s perceptions. Moreover, women have adopted avoidance tactics to defend themselves against catcallers, especially due to the distrust in Lebanese authorities and laws that fail to protect women’s rights.