Key Social Norms Take-aways Social and gender norms in Uganda deeply constrain domestic workers’ ability to recognize, voice, and formally report sexual harassment. Norms of female submissiveness, the privatization of sexual matters, and expectations around dress and propriety contribute to victim-blaming, shame, and normalization of harassment. These norms also shape how institutions and actors—such as police, local councils, and religious leaders—respond to survivors, often minimizing or deflecting their complaints. The informal nature of domestic work further isolates workers, limiting peer support and collective action. Challenging sexual harassment therefore requires addressing entrenched social norms, not just introducing new policies.
Objectives To examine how social and gender norms shape the voicing and reporting of sexual harassment among young, live-in domestic workers in Kampala, Uganda’s informal economy, and to explore how these norms influence women’s agency, access to justice, and empowerment.
Methods This qualitative study was comprised of a desk review of academic studies and grey literature, along with participatory visual and narrative methods, including four body mapping sessions, four safety audits, and 28 in-depth interviews with female domestic workers aged 18–24. The research was conducted in Kampala’s Kawempe division and included a thematic analysis of experiences related to sexual harassment, language use, and reporting mechanisms.
Results Domestic workers frequently experienced sexual harassment in their employers’ homes, including verbal harassment, unwanted touching, and attempted rape—often by male employers or male relatives. Social norms discouraged voicing such experiences, associating explicit discussion of sexuality with immorality and impropriety. Many participants internalized or minimized harassment, with coded language used to discuss it among peers, which failed to meet formal institutional reporting standards. Attempts to report were often met with inaction, dismissal, or further victim-blaming from female employers, local leaders, police, and religious authorities. Informal networks such as secretaries for women’s affairs offered some support, but even these actors often reinforced gendered norms that prioritized family stability over women’s safety.
Conclusions Sexual harassment of domestic workers is sustained by intersecting factors—informal employment structures, weak legal protections, and pervasive social and gender norms. Effective redress requires legal recognition of domestic work, inclusive workplace protections, and gender-sensitive reporting mechanisms. Crucially, any policy response must also target the underlying norms that normalize harassment and suppress women’s voices. Multi-pronged strategies are needed to connect domestic workers with resources, peers, and rights-based organizations, and to build their agency and collective power.