How Common is Sexual Harassment at Work?

Sexual harassment issues at work space often remain suppressed due to the huge amount of politics and complications associated with it. Bringing such issues to the surface can often lead to the loss of jobs. It can also harm the reputation of top officials and the company in return. Such consequences often lead to major sexual harassment issues being concealed at work spaces. It remains one such issue that is often not reported by the victim.

For the longest time, sexual harassment was not recognized as a serious subject that could prove to be a discomfort at work. According to a 2013 post poll by YouGov/Huffington post, three-quarters of victims experiencing sexual harassment at work did not report the incident.

The Issue Is Beginning To Gain More Importance

No matter how much top officials try to stifle their employees from throwing light on sexual harassment cases, a recent survey has shown that a large number of such cases are being reported. A recent poll by YouGov under which 4,900 people were surveyed regarding sexual harassment at work, among which 23 per cent of respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work, and one in four had experienced their colleague being sexually harassed. This clearly indicates that such cases are common and serious actions to do away with such situations at work space should be taken. This also brings in to focus that victims are taking strong steps to come out in the open with such incidents, and are not letting the idea of the consequences discourage them.

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The Severity Of Complaints By Men Are On The Rise.

Against the popular belief that the issue is more often experienced by women, there has been a rise in a number of complaints by men as well. Research shows that according to the polls, 37 per cent of the men are of the belief that female victims receive more respect and sympathy as compared to men. When it comes to this subject, men are rarely considered as possible victims. The common notion remains, women are the ones who do not engage in harassing the opposite sex, thus, men are not very likely to experience this discomfort at work. But the above research clearly indicates both men and women are equally subjected to sexual harassment.

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The Issue Is Common Across All Demographics

Regardless of their ethnic background, caste, color, religion, and gender, sexual harassment continues to be a harsh reality among working adults. The above YouGov survey included respondents spanning across a wide variety of demographics. A detailed analysis of the responses of these subjects, clearly indicates that sexual harassment is a common phenomenon at most work spaces.

While the above-mentioned survey brings to attention, the fact that sexual harassment is a common demon at work, irrespective of any demographics. It also raises awareness about the fact that the issue is hugely underreported. The consequences of sexual harassment need to be harsh enough to eradicate it.

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Have you experienced any such issues at your work space? Let us know your views on this subject. 

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