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‘Shocking’ Levels Of Sexual Harassment In Australian Workplaces

‘Shocking’ levels of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces

There are shocking levels of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, according to a new study released today.

One in 10 women report experiencing sexual harassment at work and one third say they experience unequal treatment.

Shocking levels of sexual harassment experienced

The ‘Women and the Future of Work’ study conducted by the University of Sydney polled more than 2,500 workers.

They ages of those surveyed ranged between 16 and 40.

The survey asked women about their attitudes and experiences in the workplace.

Those most likely to experience harassment include women with a disability from culturally diverse backgrounds or who are gay.

One woman who works in the legal profession said a magistrate told her to “prove to me you’re more than blond hair and blue eyes”.

A number of women described verbal taunts from male colleagues, for example, comments about their bras.

Bosses told others who complained about harassment that their perpetrators were “just being friendly”.

Reporting the harassment was difficult for many, with women fearful about the impact on their career progression.

Additionally, 31 percent of women don’t believe men and women are treated equally at work.

However, 50 percent of men felt there is equality in the workplace.

Results alarming, but not surprising

One of the report’s authors Professor Rae Cooper said the results about gender inequality in the workplace are alarming.

“Something that’s really shocking in our findings is that more than half of all the women we surveyed think that our workplaces are unequal, and think that men are treated better than they are at work.”

Ruth Gardner from Discrimination Claims says the survey results are not surprising.

“In my employment history, I’ve been told to prepare for meetings with my senior leaders, by putting on lipstick,” she said.

The law takes sexual harassment in the workplace extremely seriously, with some companies forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims.

However, Ms Gardner says many women still fear coming forward because of the consequences on their careers.

“Women need to speak up, but in my case, the women in the HR department were complicit in protecting the men, so it can be hard, because they’re protecting the business,” she said.

“These results show we’ve got a long way to go to ensure equality in the workplace.”


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