Interactions Between Direct and Structural Violence in Sexual Harassment Against Spanish and Unauthorized Migrant Women

Abstract

This article analyzes the intersection of direct and indirect violence against Spanish women and unauthorized migrant women working in precarious jobs in Almeria (Spain). Specifically, it seeks to understand how unauthorized migrant women define violence, the relationship between sexual harassment and other types of direct violence (such as intimate partner violence), and structural, legal, and cultural violence. To do this, we apply a multilevel intersectional analysis focusing on 32 interviews with Spanish and unauthorized migrant women. Three levels of intersectionality are shown. In the first, the interviewees do not label verbal abuse as sexual harassment. They attribute the abuse to their work. In the second, sexual harassment seems to be tied to “respect” and not “love,” which explains why sexual harassment has less devastating consequences for women than intimate partner violence. In the third, experiences of sexual harassment differ between Spanish women and unauthorized migrant women, and a combination of sexual harassment and xenophobic and racist behavior occasionally appeared.

Appendix

Nationality, type of work, other types of direct violence

Nationality	Occupation in Spain	Other types of direct violence
Spanish	Domestic work, cleaning hotels, housekeeping	Psychological abuse
Spanish	Domestic work, store clerk, food handler	Physical and psychological abuse
Spanish	Childcare, tourist entertainment, event hostess	Psychological abuse
Spanish	Cleaning, childcare and the elderly, home care assistant	Physical and psychological abuse
Spanish	Sex work, store clerk, cook, cleaning, childcare	Abused as a child, Physical and psychological abuse
Spanish	Sex work, cleaning, kiosk work, housekeeping	Physical and psychological abuse
Spanish	Sex work, cleaning, hotel industry, survey taker, store clerk, greenhouse worker	Physical and psychological abuse
Spanish	Sex work, hair salon, cooking	Physical and psychological
Ecuadorian	Domestic work, cleaning	Physical and psychological abuse
Brazilian	Domestic work, elder care	Physical and psychological abuse
Bolivian	Domestic work, cleaning by the hour, elder care	Abused as a child
Argentine	Store clerk, cleaning, working at a supermarket, administrator	Psychological abuse
Moroccan	Domestic work, cleaning by the hour, working at a greenhouse, childcare	Physical and psychological abuse
Moroccan	Domestic work, cleaning
Nigerian	Domestic work, prostitution, harvesting lettuce	Psychological abuse Abused as a child
Equatoguinean	Home care assistant	Racism
Romanian	Farm work, childcare, cleaning, pizza shop	Physical and psychological abuse
Russian	Domestic work, cleaning at a hotel, greenhouse worker	Psychological abuse
Romanian	Domestic work, childcare	Physical and psychological abuse Trafficking for sexual exploitation
Russian	Domestic work, restaurant assistant	Physical and psychological abuse
Argentine	Domestic work, caretaker, hotel industry	Physical and psychological abuse
Brazilian	Prostitution, domestic work, housekeeping	Physical and psychological abuse
Russian	Prostitution, domestic work, store clerk	Physical and psychological abuse Trafficking for sexual exploitation
Guatemalan	Prostitution, cleaning, hotel industry, hair salon, esthetician	Physical and psychological abuse Rape
Nigerian	Prostitution	Physical and psychological abuse
Moroccan	Prostitution, greenhouse worker	Physical and psychological abuse Rape
Nigerian	Prostitution, banana packing, greenhouse worker, hairdresser
Nigerian	Prostitution, childcare for fellow countrymen, selling prepared food	Physical and psychological abuse
Romanian	Prostitution, elder care	Abused as a child, trafficking for sexual exploitation
Romanian	Prostitution, cleaning houses	Physical and psychological abuse
Romanian	Prostitution, erotic massage
Romanian	Prostitution, domestic worker, housekeeping	Physical and psychological abuse Trafficking for sexual exploitation