According to a BBC survey in 2017, 40% of women and 18% of men had experienced sexual harassment in their place of work. (1) If we take this number as being accurate, women are 22% more likely to suffer from unwanted sexual attention ranging from uncomfortable remarks to serious physical assaults. Another survey from the same year from BBC Radio 5 live (2) found that 53% of women and 20% of men had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, raising the gap to 33%. This number is likely to rise in future surveys as women slowly begin to feel more heard and empowered with movements such as #metoo which highlight the severity and widespreadness of the issue.
Of course, most women do not need to see the statistics to know that this imbalance exists. When I began collecting information for this article I reflected back on my own experiences as well as those of my female friends and colleagues in comparison to those of my male counterparts and was unsurprised to find that our list of experiences was much more extensive. In fact, many cases of sexual harassment will be overlooked as unpleasant but not 'that serious' and therefore will not be reported, resulting in the actual percentage of victims likely being a lot higher than what is shown.
What does the law define as harassment?
Sexual harassment can be anything from unwanted touching, catcalling, uncomfortable comments about one's appearance to groping, grabbing and rape. Any unwanted attention put forth in a manner in which the targeted person is made to feel belittled, distressed or ridiculed in any way. The UK Law covers sexual harassment under many Acts with the most important being the Equality Act 2010 (3) which describes the process as "unwanted conduct of sexual nature [...] creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment". Some forms of sexual harassment are also liable to become criminal offences under Acts such as the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (harassment and stalking) or the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (revenge porn). Whatever the form, sexual harassment is considered to be unlawful. If only this was enough.
Despite the number of legal protection victims should be entitled to, around 80% of women affected by harassment will not report it. (4) The majority of men will choose not to report their cases for similar reasons; feelings of shame and embarrassment, worries about whether or not they will be believed and how this might impact their careers and relationships. The statistics of rape prosecutions in the UK may also be offputting to many; England and Wales are currently at their lowest in a decade (5) with only 3% of rape convictions in London resulting in a conviction. Why should the career and reputation of the offender be considered more important than that of the abused?
This is not to deny or discredit the experience of men as there is an obvious inequality in the way male sexual harassment is viewed in comparison to that of women; they are more likely to be mocked and not taken seriously due to pre-existing gender-based stereotypes and expectations. This is also not to paint all men as chauvinistic sex pests, simply to recognise the harsh reality of the life of a working woman.
There needs to be a shift in perspective, it shouldn't be on the victims to feel shame for someone else's actions. We are lucky to live in an age where we at least have a chance at making our voices heard, even if our society still has quite a way to go when it comes to acceptance and equality.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by sexual harassment in or out of the workplace here is a list of helplines you can contact:
Information Sources:
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