Sexual harassment still endemic in the UK labor market, suggests study

More than half (52%) of all women and nearly two-thirds (63%) of women aged 18–24 have been sexually harassed at work, according to a new study conducted by the TUC and the Everyday Sexism Project in the UK.

The study, titled Still Just a Bit of Banter?, also worryingly reveals that few women who are sexually harassed actually take action. Of those experiencing harassment, 79% did not tell their boss—concerned it would impact on their relationships at work (28%) or on their career prospects (15%), while others were too embarrassed (20%) or felt they would not be believed (24%).

Francis O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC—the national trade union centre in the UK—stresses that “employers need to protect their staff from sexual harassment. They must have sufficient training and robust policies in place to protect their workforce.” She also emphasizes that “the government needs to send a clear message that sexual harassment must stop. Ministers must cut tribunal fees [currently £1,200 for employment tribunals; believed to be restricting women’s access to justice] and must make employers legally responsible for protecting their staff from harassment by customers and clients, as well as colleagues.”

IZA World of Labor author Joni Hersch has written about sexual harassment in the workplace, noting how it “increases absenteeism and turnover and lowers workplace productivity and job satisfaction.” Hersch also finds that sexual harassment remains pervasive and underreported, and that neither legislation nor market incentives have been able to eliminate it. She believes that “[s]trong workplace policies prohibiting sexual harassment, workplace training, and a complaints process that protects workers from retaliation seem to offer the most promise in reducing sexual harassment.”

The full TUC report can be found here.

Related articles:
Sexual harassment in the workplace, by Joni Hersch