Over half of all female of employees have suffered some form of sexual harassment in the workplace, new research suggests.
Out of 3,434 women workers who took part in a study conducted by legal experts at AdviseMeBarrister.com, 1,760 said they had experienced harassment at work because of their gender, including offensive sexist remarks and being the butt of chauvinist jokes.
Two-thirds of women who have experienced harassment at work said their boss or other male colleagues had made inappropriate comments about what they are wearing, while 43 per cent have been sworn at by colleagues and the same percentage propositioned in a manner which made them feel awkward.
However, harassment often goes beyond the verbal, the study found, with four in women having been touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable while at work and 27 per cent having even been kissed by someone despite spurning their advances.
Barrister Rachel Temple, who co- launched AdviseMeBarrister.com and oversaw the research, said: “We were shocked to discover the extent of sexual harassment in UK workplaces, women are having to run the gauntlet of inappropriate workplace behaviour every day of the week.”
Sexual discrimination and harassment is also having a significant impact on the careers of many female workers, the survey suggested.
Twenty three per cent of women said they felt sure a colleague had secured a promotion that was rightfully theirs just because they were male, while a quarter claim male colleagues in exactly the same position as them are being paid more.
Furthermore, a third of female workers have even considered leaving work because of the harassment and discrimination they face and a quarter suffered mental and physical health problems because of their experiences.
But there appears to be a lack of processes in place to help women who have been the victim of discrimination, with half of those polled saying they wouldn’t know who to go to if they wanted to lodge a complaint or take legal action.
A similar number said they would be worried about people believing them if they did make a complaint, while 29 per cent did not want to put a black mark against their name.
I have just read this article and totally agree with this findings, although I knew what to do when I resigned (Constructive Dismissal) I felt myself asking how do I see it through? But I did, it was hard and at times I felt like giving up. It took 2 years to eventually get to tribunal where the panel came to a unanimous decision in my favour on all accounts, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Victimisation, Unfair dismissal and disclosure of a protected document. The judge said it was one of, if not the worst case he had ever heard. I felt numb when I won but I am still suffering discrimination as trying to get a job is so hard even though I did everything right and I was the innocent party, why I ask myself is this happening? I’m left totally broke from the whole experience even though I was awarded money the company are now in Administration, but I would encourage any woman or man going through similar to what I did to take it further. I’m glad I did feel free to google my name Vanessa Turley and my story is all over the page as it was covered extensively by the press I now would like to speak to other about my experience and how it affected me and my family but I wouldn’t change anything as justice was done. Thank you
It’s heartbreaking to know that the number of people suffering from sexual harassment is increasing every year – and this is the same for both men and women. There are a lot of programs that raise awareness and help prevent sexual harassment, but it seems that it’s one problem that’s difficult to resolve. Also, I think the programs and established laws will not be totally effective if there is no cooperation from the victims. I’m looking forward to being in a place where everyone is safe from any harm.
Alana Gorecki