How organisational culture sustains sexual behaviour at work: a qualitative study of a hospital in Nyamagana District, Mwanza, Tanzania

This article examines how organisational culture shaped sexual behaviour in a hospital in Nyamagana District, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. Using a phenomenological design, nine in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion with six employees were analysed thematically. The findings show that sexual jokes and suggestive comments were normalised through repetition, humour and group laughter; that hierarchy and fear of authority discouraged junior employees from challenging senior colleagues; and that a culture of silence, sustained by fear of gossip and stigma, led employees to prefer avoidance to reporting. Leadership responsiveness, the perceived abuse of authority and the consistency of accountability shaped confidence in reporting procedures. Formal communication concentrated on work targets and rarely addressed sexual boundaries, so employees relied on informal talk and observation to learn what was tolerated. Employees responded through acceptance, compliance, resistance and collective responsibility. The article argues that formal policy alone is insufficient where informal norms continue to normalise inappropriate conduct, and that an organisational culture perspective is strengthened when combined with a feminist analysis of power. Implications for employers and regulators are discussed.