WORKPLACE HARASSMENT, WORK–FAMILY CONFLICT, AND TURNOVER INTENTION AMONG WOMEN ENGINEERS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Workplace harassment has emerged as a significant psychosocial challenge affecting women’s participation and retention in male-dominated professions such as engineering. In Pakistan, where gender norms and organizational cultures often intersect to marginalize women in technical professions, empirical evidence on women engineers’ workplace experiences remains limited. The present study examined the relationship between workplace harassment, work–family conflict, and turnover intention among women engineers in Pakistan. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected from 85 women engineers working in academic and corporate engineering sectors using an online questionnaire. Workplace harassment and work–family conflict were measured using subscales of the Psychosocial Challenges of Women Engineers Scale, while turnover intention was assessed using the Turnover Intention Scale–Short Version (TIS-6). Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, and independent samples t-tests were conducted using SPSS. The results revealed that workplace harassment was positively associated with work–family conflict and turnover intention. Work–family conflict emerged as the strongest predictor of turnover intention. Additionally, women engineers working in corporate organizations reported significantly higher turnover intention compared to those working in academia. The findings highlight the importance of addressing workplace harassment and work–family conflict in order to improve employee well-being and retention of women engineers in male-dominated professions. The study provides important implications for organizational policies aimed at promoting gender-inclusive and supportive work environments.