One in 10 Australian women being sexually harassed at work, survey finds

One in 10 of Australia’s working women are being sexually harassed in their current job, a wide-ranging survey has found.

Women with a disability, or who are from culturally diverse backgrounds, gay or studying are most likely to have been harassed.

Being treated with respect by their boss was viewed as essential for 80% of the women, but only two-thirds believed they actually were, the survey of 2,109 working women and 500 men found.

Fewer than a third of women, who were all under 40, believed both sexes were treated equally in the workplace, while half of the men surveyed did.

One woman told how she had been described as a “tasty little bitch” after meeting a GP, while another in the legal industry was told by a magistrate to “prove to me you’re more than blond hair and blue eyes”.

Other women told of how male colleagues commented on their bras, or of being told their harassers were “just being friendly”.

Reporting the harassment was difficult for many, with women fearful about the impact it could have on their career progression or worried that their boss wouldn’t sanction the perpetrator.

One of the study’s co-authors, Dr Elizabeth Hill from the University of Sydney’s women, work and leadership research group, said while young women were “crying out to be treated with respect” they actually had a poor experience of being valued in the workplace.

“Enough is enough,” Hill said as the study was released on Tuesday. “Workplaces have to change. Australian women are better educated than ever and this is the workplace they are faced with.”

Source: theguardian