As much as 53% of British women and 20% of men have been sexually harassed at the workplace or a place of study, a BBC survey released on Wednesday said. Of those who said they had experienced sexual harassment, 63% of the women and 79% of the men said they did not report the act.
Market research consultancy ComRes conducted the survey for BBC Radio 5, with a sample size of over 2,000 respondents. As much as 45% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 and 33% of those above 34 said they had been sexually harassed.
Some 7% of the men and 3% of the women said they had witnessed a colleague or fellow student being sexually harassed.
Of the respondents who said they had faced sexual harassment, 43% – 57% men and 38% women – said they were harassed by a colleague from the same organisational level as theirs. However, 30% of women said they had been harassed by a senior manager or boss, compared to 12% men.
However, 48% of women who revealed harassment said they were more likely to report it today than five years ago. The corresponding figure for men was 26%. Around 8% of the respondents said they had quit their job because of the harassment.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!