No sex, no job – Report

At a time when women empowerment is synonymous with national development, many young women in search of job are falling victim to sexual advances from male employers.

After enduring this act for some time, 28 young women, four of them married, have confessed to The Finder that they gained employment only after yielding to the sexual advances of their male employers.

These women, forming a third of the group interviewed on the growing perception of sex-for-jobs in the country, are of the opinion that the practice is on the ascendency as more young women seeking jobs fall under the pressure of male employers and are left with no option than to accept their sexual advances in order to be employed.

The Finder spoke to women who work in the media, financial and public sectors and also in the small scale enterprises.

It was uncovered that instances of sexual advances from male employers in media houses were higher than the other areas.

Out of 15 media houses sampled, 12 cases of sexual intercourse between male superiors and their female subordinates were recorded, thus topping the list of offenders.

At a television station in Accra, a lady (name withheld) said the experience was demeaning, adding that she now dealt with the embarrassment on a daily basis.

“The man whose department I was supposed to work in walked me out of his office since I was not prepared to have sex with him. He said he wanted me to motivate him in order to recommend me to management for employment. He also said there were other qualified and competent ladies who were willing to sleep with him so I should rather stop calling to check up on the job and do the right thing,” she said.

According to her, the same boss had slept with three other women who had come on internship, promising to have them employed after they had completed school.

The woman, now pregnant for her boss, said he had denied responsibility for the pregnancy.

Of 24 cases sampled within the private sector involving manufacturing companies, service-based companies and small scale business, 13 cases of sex-for-job were recorded. At a restaurant in Accra, a young woman told The Finder that she wanted a job hence her decision to sleep with her boss.

“He was giving me pressure so we did it then he asked me to start work. Since then, he has not been shouting on me like the other people,” she stated.

She said the act happened in the manager's office a few times but he now takes her out purposely for that.

The practice is said to be also prevalent in the banks and financial institutions.

When The Finder spoke with the heads of corporate affairs of three prominent banks in the capital, they all pointed out that the issues were to a large extent mere rumours and that no woman had ever lodged a formal complaint.

After a couple of days of exchanging pleasantries, Thelma (not her real name) told The Finder that she and two others had to sleep with the head of corporate affairs of a bank until the chief executive officer found out and transferred him and the two other ladies.

According to Thelma, she got her letter of appointment in June, this year, after having slept with the boss for five months.

“He actually put it bluntly that I could unlock the door to my success if only I used what I had to get what I wanted. Well, I initially resisted but gave in after a while,” she stated.

This incident was corroborated by the C. E. O who also said that the man in question engaged in the same act at his new post and has since been dismissed from the bank.