Sexual Harassment Prevalence in the United States
Sexual Harassment Prevalence
Introduction to Sexual Harassment Prevalence
Many different studies have attempted to investigate the frequency and prevalence of sexual harassment. Surveys provide widely divergent statistics, indicating that anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment at some point in their lives. This wide range may be due in part to the fact that perceptions of what constitutes sexual harassment differ among individuals and among men and women. That is, what some people might consider acceptable behavior, others might think of as sexual harassment.
Another way of gauging the prevalence of sexual harassment is to examine formal complaints to government agencies. From 1990 to 1996 the number of complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) more than doubled-from about 6000 to about 15,000. The number of men filing sexual harassment claims with the EEOC increased from 8 percent of all claims in 1990 to 10 percent of the total in 1996. Complaints of sexual harassment occurring at schools and colleges have also become more numerous.
Research indicates that sexual harassment is widespread among children and teenagers. One survey of more than 1500 students in nearly 80 junior high and high schools found that 85 percent of girls and 76 percent of boys had experienced some form of sexual harassment at school. The researchers in this study defined sexual harassment as unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior that interferes with a student’s life. In most categories, girls experienced higher rates of sexual harassment than did boys. Seventy-six percent of girls and 56 percent of boys reported being the target of sexual comments, jokes, gestures, or looks. This was the most common form of sexual harassment in the schools surveyed. Sixty-five percent of girls and 42 percent of boys reported that they had been touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual manner. Forty-two percent of girls and 34 percent of boys reported that they had been the subject of sexual rumors. However, more boys than girls (34 percent versus 31 percent) reported that others had shown, given, or left them sexual pictures, photographs, or messages.
Surveys about sexual harassment have a number of research limitations. Victims may be more likely than nonvictims to respond to a survey about sexual harassment. Alternatively, some victims may fail to report harassment because they are ashamed. Therefore, self-report surveys of victims or offenders may result in either overreporting or underreporting of harassment. Bearing in mind the limitations of the research, most experts agree that sexual harassment is widespread.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Sexual Harassment Prevalence in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia