Unraveling workplace harassment in teaching: Family resemblances in the experiences of female teachers in the State of Mexico

Abstract

This paper stems from a Master’s thesis in Education Research at the Instituto Superior de Ciencias de la Educación del Estado de México, Nextlalpan division, which examines the school organizational cultures that foster workplace harassment among teachers in the State of Mexico, focusing on the experiences of nine female teachers. The research employs the oral history methodology and Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept of family resemblances, seeking to identify patterns and divergences among workplace harassment experiences collected through semi-structured interviews. The study utilizes a family resemblances framework to analyze the interviews, allowing for an understanding of workplace harassment experiences, their consequences, and the resistance strategies employed by the victims. The findings reveal women as the most vulnerable sector, conferring a gender dimension to workplace harassment among teachers. Furthermore, the study identifies the multidirectionality of workplace harassment, as well as significant differences derived from factors such as the harasser’s gender and the vulnerability of newly hired female teachers. The conclusions underscore the need to address workplace harassment in the educational field from a multidimensional perspective that responds to the gender dynamics and power structures present within these institutions. This study, as part of a broader graduate research, significantly contributes to the understanding of workplace harassment in educational contexts, giving voice to those everyday stories that we know and that, as teachers, we even experience.