“You’re a woman and he’ll please you”: perception of moral and sexual harassment against women journalists in João Pessoa-PB

Abstract

This article discusses the moral and sexual harassment suffered by female journalists – from undergraduate education to the job market – in the city of João Pessoa, capital of the state of Paraíba. The research intended to analyze the perceptions of female journalists who work in newsrooms in João Pessoa regarding practices of moral and sexual harassment during their training and in the exercise of their profession. To collect data, a questionnaire and in-depth interviews about the violence suffered by women in journalism in Paraíba were applied. The aim was to identify the most common origins of this type of practice against women, report the impact of violence on the professional careers of victims and understand how the organizational culture of communication companies interferes in the maintenance or prevention of the persistence of moral and sexual harassment against female journalists. The numbers indicate the recurrence of moral and sexual harassment, as well as other gender-based violence against female journalists in João Pessoa.