Sex harassment rife in 'a man's world'

Four out of five victims of sexual harassment are women and those aged under 40 are the most likely targets. Source: Supplied

WOMEN who speak out about sexual harassment at work are more likely to be labelled troublemakers by their colleagues, become ostracised and, in extreme cases, even demoted.

And the number of women who suffer harassment and make an official complaint has fallen as a result.

The report, commissioned by the Human Rights Commission, found the number of victims who suffer in the workplace after they complain has jumped from 16 per cent to 29 per cent since 2003.

Four out of five victims of sexual harassment are women and those aged under 40 are the most likely targets.

The report found that while more than one in five are now subjected to harassment only 20 per cent make a formal complaint and the number of women who confront their harasser has also fallen.

Women working in health and community services, accommodation, cafe and restaurants, retail and education are most likely to suffer some form of sexual harassment.

The most common types of sexual harassment include sexually suggestive comments or jokes, inappropriate leering or staring, intrusive questions about physical appearance and sexually explicit emails or text messages.

The report also showed the number of men who have been harassed by other men has risen from 7 per cent in 2003 to 23 per cent today.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick said progress in addressing workplace sexual harassment "has stalled in this country."

"Compounding this concern are the findings that a number of people are bystanders to incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace, and understanding about sexual harassment remains limited, with only marginal improvements in understanding since the 2008 survey," she said.

"Until a critical mass of people speak up about sexual harassment we wont get the cultural change that is necessary to eradicate it from the organisational landscape.

"We must make it safe for them to speak out and at the minute our research shows were still not at that point."

"I wouldn't characterise Australia as a sexist country, but there is pockets of sexism that exist in 2012.

"If you look at workplaces its a man's world. It doesn't matter what sector you look at, the leadership levels will be dominated by men.

"It's got to be about a community belief that men and women are equal in all aspects of public life. Sexual harassment is about power."

High-profile sexual harassment cases involving text messages and email - such as those involving former speaker Peter Slipper (who denies any wrongdoing) and former David Jones employee Kristy Fraser-Kirk - appear to have helped stall cyber harassment.

People who reported receiving sexually explicit emails or text messages dropped from 22 per cent to 17 per cent between 2008 and 2012.

Employment law expert and Maurice Blackburn Lawyers principal Giri Sivaraman said workplaces can have all the policies in the world, but if there is no change in the culture from the chief executive down, then the problem will persist.

"I seem to have seen more and more victims of sexual harassment over the last few years, he said.

"It can involve sometimes really senior female employees that are victims of harassment, sometimes even senior executives. Often in those circumstances the alleged perpetrator is the most senior person in the organisation.

"There are protections in the (Sex Discrimination Act) and the law for people who make complaints in the workplace. Thats important for people to know. Protection is important when there is a huge power imbalance between you and the perpetrator.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN AUSTRALIA

Source: Australian Human rights Commission report Working Without Fear: Results of the Sexual Harassment National Telephone Survey 2012.

Respondents who reported negative consequences (eg victimisation, demotion etc) after reporting sexual harassment

2012: 29%

2008: 22%

2003: 16%

Respondents who were sexually harassed that made a formal complaint

2012: 20%

2008: 16%

2003: (not recorded)

Percentage who decided to confront the harasser themselves

2012: 26%

2008: 38%

2003: 45%

Male harassment of men

2012: 23%

2008: 18%

2003: 7%

The average score for feeling offended by the sexual harassment (5 is the maximum, 0 is not offended at all)

2012: 2.8

2008: 3.2

2003: 3.5

Sexual harassment in large organisations (more than 100 employees)

2012: 41%

2008: 39%

2003: 37%

Most common industries for sexual harassment

Health and community services: 14% (2008 - 14%)

Accommodation, cafI and restaurant: 11% (2008 - 10%)

Retail: 11% (2008 - 8%)

Education: 10% (2008 - 12%)

Service industries: 16% (2008 - 9%)

Sales: 8% (2008 - 5%)

Most common types of sexual harassment

Sexually suggestive comments or jokes 56%(2008 - 55%)

Intrusive questions about private life or physical appearance: 50%(2008 - 47%)

Inappropriate staring or leering: 31% (2008 - 32%)

Sexually explicit emails or SMS messages: 17% (2008 - 22%)

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