POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THEPHILIPPINES

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUN D

Introduction

Movements such as the "Time's Up Rally”, a women's march held in London

on January 2018, and the #MeToo, a phrase that went viral on Twitter last October

2017, are spreading awareness about sexual assault and harassment, as well as

the negative effects it has to the victims. Celebrities, influencers, even normal

citizens who are victims of these acts are sharing their stories to everyone so that

people will become more aware of the impact these kinds of traumatic experiences

can bring to a person, how it can alter their lives in a negative way.

According to O’Leary (2016), over the last 20 years, researchers have

determined that sexual harassment occurs in many different countries and cultures.

One common form of sexual harassment happens on the very streets people walk

through every day. Street Harassment, as defined by the non-profit organization

Stop Street Harassment (2015), is any unwanted comments, gestures, and actions

forced on a stranger, in a public place, without their consent. Under street

harassment is the term catcalling, which was identified as the use of crude language,

verbal expression, and non-verbal expression that takes place in public areas such

as streets, sidewalks, or bus stops by Chhun (2011).

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In the Philippines, there are laws that were made pertaining to sexual

harassment. On February 8, 1995, the Republic Act 7877, also known as the "Anti-

Sexual Harassment Act of 1995" was approved by the House of Representatives

and Senate. It is a law regarding the declaration of sexual harassment as an illicit

act in the employment, education, or training environment. On the other hand, it was

on May 16, 2016 when the Quezon City's amended gender and development code,

"Anti-Catcalling Ordinance", was signed into law by Mayor Herbert Bautista. It was

the first local government in the Philippines to penalize the street-level harassment

of women. Following the implementation of Quezon City's development code,

Councilor Krystle Bacani presented an ordinance that is still dealing with the issue

of catcalling and other forms of sexual harassment, but for the municipality of Manila

with which he hopes to be implemented by March 2018.

Lastly, twenty-three years since the approval of the Republic Act 7877,

Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros - Baraquel filed a bill that seeks to protect

and help women and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)

community from harassment in the public environment. It is called as the Senate Bill

no. 1326, also known as the "Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act of 2017". To

empower women as well as to correct the social stigma, the cultural mindset of

everyone concerning the nationwide and global issue of sexual harassment

regardless of its form and type of environment is the primary reason for all the

legislations, city ordinance and bills being filed and implemented. As presented in

the SWS survey in February 2016, 88% of women ages 18 to 24 experienced sexual

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harassment at least once, where wolf whistling and catcalling being the most

common forms.

The researchers wanted to understand how catcalling can affect the social

aspect of a person, specifically relationships of the victim towards its opposite sex.

The researchers desire to deepen one's knowledge in the stated subject, unveiling

new discoveries that can be helpful in further comprehension of how catcalling can

deeply impact a person’s life and how one can help those who have been affected.

Conducting this study can be beneficial not only for the victims, but for others as

well. The researchers hope that they can somehow make a difference in the current

situation of sexual harassment in the Philippines.

Statement of the Problem

The study entitled "The Effects of Catcalling to the Social Relationship of

the Victims from the Grade 11 Students of PUPSHS-ADT towards its Opposite

Sex" aims to discuss the underlying implications of catcalling on the social

relationship of the stated individuals. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following

questions:

i. Who experiences catcalling more frequently?

ii. What is the most commonly observed effect of catcalling on the social

relationship of the victim towards its opposite sex among the following:

a. Avoidance of interaction

b. Uneasiness whenever there is a need for communication

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c. Exclusion of opposite sex in a social relationship

d. Fear of entering any intimate relationship

iii. How does catcalling affect the social relationship of the victim towards its

opposite sex?

Hypothesis

Catcalling have no significant effect on the social relationship of the victim

towards its opposite sex.

Significance of the Study

The generalization of this study would be a great contribution to the vast

knowledge in relation to student’s achievements. Vital results of this investigation

could be highly significant and beneficial to the following:

Students. Through the awareness brought by the study, students would

develop the understanding about the implications that the victim has to endure. With

that, they would know about the preventive measures and how to respond on the

given situation.

Teachers. Enabling them to have a deeper understanding about the problem

of sexual harassment, particularly catcalling. From that, they can be a tool for proper

education correcting the social stigma brought by the subject matter.

Victims. The awareness conveyed to each individual would be beneficial to

the victims as they go through the healing process since the burden due to social

stigma is being corrected, little by little.

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Parents. Gaining a broader knowledge in catcalling through this study,

parents would be able to know how to educate, discipline and guide their children

addressing through small acts the global issue.

School Officials. To give idea that catcalling is an important issue that needs

to be addressed through implementation of rules and regulations with the purpose

of helping the victims and raising awareness to the general public.

General Public. The topic of victim blaming and shaming can somehow be

addressed since the public will be enlightened regarding the true mechanism

revolving around the concept of catcalling as well as its long-term effects.

Future Researchers. This research can be used as a support study for those

people that are planning to dive in the same subject matter, creating additional

findings and providing a more concrete solution.

Definition of Terms

The following terminologies are defined by the researchers with accordance

to how it was used in the study:

Catcalling is defined as an act of whistling or yelling something sexually

suggestive to a stranger.

Street Harassment is defined as any unwanted comments, gestures, and

actions forced on a stranger, in a public place, without their consent and is directed

at them because of their actual or perceived sex, gender, gender expression, or

sexual orientation.

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Sexist is defined as a prejudice or discrimination based on sex.

Homophobic is having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against

homosexual people.

Social Relationship is any connection, association or bond with at least one

other person that follows an expected behavior in a social situation which includes

peer to peer relationship, marriage relationship, church relationship and many more.

Scope and Delimitations

This research entitled "The Effects of Catcalling to the Social Relationship

of the Victims from the Grade 11 Students of PUPSHS-ADT towards its

Opposite Sex" will only be focusing on the effects brought by catcalling on the social

relationship of the victim towards its opposite sex. It will identify who experiences

catcalling more frequently among men and women, what particular effect of

catcalling is mostly observed based on the options provided and explain how it can

affect the relationship of the victim to its opposite sex, in a social aspect.

The researchers limit the study within the four sections of Arts and Design

Track, having an overall respondents of 96 individuals. From each section, a total of

24 students, 12 from males and another 12 for females, will be chosen as

participants in conducting the survey. This study will only be covering the 2nd

semester of the school year 2017-2018. This research will not include the issue of

catcalling that occurs within same sex.

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Theoretical Framework

Theory of Planned Behavior. This theory is an extension of the theory of

reasoned action of Azjen and Fishbein in 1975 and 1980, made necessary by the

original model's limitations in dealing with behavior over which principle have

incomplete volitional control. As in the theory of reasoned action, a central factor in

the theory of planned behavior is the individual's intention to perform a given

behavior. Intentions are assumed to capture the motivational factors that influences

a behavior, they are indications of how hard people are willing to try, of how much

of an effort they are planning to exert, in order to perform the behavior. As a general

rule, the stronger the intention to engage in a behavior, the more likely should be its

performance. It should be clear, however, that a behavioral intention can fine

expression in behavior only if the behavior in question is under volitional control.

Perceived behavioral control plays an important part in the theory of planned

behavior. Together with behavioral intention, perceived behavioral control can be

used directly to predict behavioral achievement (Azjen, 1985). Perceived behavioral

control refers to people's perceptions of their ability to perform a given behavior.

Shemata Theory. According to schema theory, people make sense of new

experiences and the world by activating the mental representations or schemata

stored in their memory. New experiences and information are interpreted according

to how it fits into their schemata. Information that does not fit may be misunderstood

or miscomprehended.

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Objectification Theory. Objectification Theory posits that girls and women

are typically acculturated to internalize an observer's perspective as a primary view

of their physical selves. This perspective on self can lead to habitual body

monitoring, which, in turn, can increase women's opportunities for shame and

anxiety, reduce opportunities for peak motivational states, and diminish awareness

of internal bodily states. Accumulations of such experiences may help account for

an array of mental health risks that disproportionately affect women: unipolar

depression, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders. Objectification theory also

illuminates why changes in these mental health risks appear to occur in step with

life-course changes in the female body (Fredrickson and Roberts, 1997)

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Conceptual Framework

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