Factors associated with sexual violence among waitresses working in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia: a mixed-method study

BACKGROUND: When a worker is abused, threatened, or assaulted while at work, it poses an explicit or implicit threat to his/her safety, well-being, or health. However, the magnitude and understanding of the problem and its associated factors have received little attention in low and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to ascertain the magnitude, perceptions, and associated factors of workplace sexual violence among waitresses in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. METHODS: Parallel sampling was used in a facility-based convergent mixed-methods study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. Four hundred six waitresses provided quantitative information. To collect data, a pretested structured interview administered questionnaire was used. Qualitative data from ten in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions were also collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were cleaned before being entered into Epidata version 7 and exported to STATA version 15 for analysis. Using odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval and a P value of less than 0.05, binary logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors. Thematic analysis was performed using ATLAS ti version 8.4.25 after the recorded audios were transcribed. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of workplace sexual violence was 45.9% (95% CI 41, 50.8). Waitresses who had heard about sexual violence and workplace sexual violence, had witnessed family violence as a child, had a family who valued their honor over their children’s safety and health, and lacked employment opportunities were more likely to experience workplace sexual violence. Waitresses who worked in emotionally supportive work environments and were educated were less likely to experience workplace sexual violence. CONCLUSIONS: Many of the waitresses in this study had experienced workplace sexual violence. Its awareness, witnessing family violence as a child, growing up in a family that prioritized their honor over their children’s safety and health, and lack of employment opportunities exacerbated it. In contrast, emotionally supportive work environments and education have protected them. This implies that organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, civic organizations, and other responsible bodies must pay attention to the identified factors. Additionally, Ethiopian hospitality workplaces should develop policies to protect women. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-022-01806-x.