Women Have Been Sexually Harassed at Work Study

By the age of 34, about 1 in every 3 female workers in the U.S. has been the target of workplace sexual harassment, a recent study has revealed. This study,¹ which involved surveying more than 2,200 women across the U.S., focused on evaluating the prevalence and nature of sexual harassment in the modern American workplace.

In addition to finding that about 33 percent of women have been sexually harassed at work, this study also discovered that:

• Roughly 16 percent of respondents did not have a clear understanding of what workplace sexual harassment is – These participants noted that they had been subjected to sexually explicit statements at work, yet they stated that they had not been sexually harassed at work.
• Verbal forms of sexual harassment tend to be the most prevalent – About 4 in every 5 respondents had experienced some form of verbal sexual harassment. Physical contact and lewd emails were also, however, commonly cited as forms workplace sexual harassment respondents had experienced.
• Workplace sexual harassment tends to be reported more in certain industries – In particular, this study found that more reports of workplace sexual harassment arose from the hospitality, retail and arts/entertainment industries (as compared to other fields). The fields associated with the least number of reports of workplace sexual harassment, according to this survey, include the education and health care industries.
• Most women do not report workplace sexual harassment – In fact, more than 70 percent of the participants who had experienced workplace sexual harassment responded that they never reported the incident(s). Of those who did report the harassment, about 85 percent expressed that they were not satisfied with the outcome of their report.

What You Should Know about Workplace Sexual Harassment

While the above study reveals some important findings of workplace sexual harassment in the U.S., here are some of the most important takeaways for workers to remember about this illegal practice:

• Workplace sexual harassment can come in many forms and does not necessarily have to involve physical contact or a direct verbal communication. It can also come in the form of emails, text messages, sexually explicit displays, etc.
• Women are not the only victims of workplace sexual harassment, and men are not the only perpetrators. In fact, workplace sexual harassment can occur regardless of the specific gender(s) and/or position(s) of the involved parties. In other words, male or female colleagues, supervisors, etc. can all be the perpetrators or victims of sexual harassment at work.
• Victims of sexual harassment have options for justice that go beyond the recourse available via their employers. And consulting an experienced sexual harassment lawyer can be the key to understanding – and successfully pursuing – these options.

Contact a Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Lawyer at the Azadian Law Group, PC

If you have been sexually harassed at work, contact a Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyer at the Azadian Law Group, PC for a free case to review to find out more about your options for recovery and justice.

At the Azadian Law Group, PC, our lawyers exclusively represent employees – we never represent employers. This has endowed our attorneys with the experience, knowledge, insight and resources necessary to effectively represent our clients in any legal setting and bring their cases to favorable resolutions. Over the past few years alone, our lawyers have recovered more than $25 million for our clients.

Call us at 626-449-4944 or send us an email via this contact form to find out more about how we can help you. If you choose to move forward with us, you will not have to pay us any legal fees until or unless compensation is secured for your case.

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1: Study republished by Huffington Post