Indian Legal Profession and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act

Sexual harassment in professional fields can hinder economic development globally. The epidemic of sexual harassment within the law profession has created a hidden barrier, predominantly for females. This study seeks to examine the effect of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act 2013 (In.) (SHWWPPRA) among the legal professionals in India to determine whether sexual harassment affects the profession and whether sexual harassment is gender-biased. Empirical and descriptive research methods were adopted by administering questionnaires to three hundred and forty-seven (347) legal professionals. The results revealed that 57.1% of the total respondents did not think that the SHWWPPRA is significantly enforced, and 71.6% of 204 male and 83.2% of 143 female respondents viewed sexual harassment as a hindrance to the growth of the Indian legal profession. Based on these, it was recommended that The Advocates Act 1961 (In.) (AA) be revamped to include sexual harassment in the list of professional misconduct.