work sexual harassment
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A survey of more than 1,500 British women Wednesday has revealed that more more than half of the respondents said that they had been sexually harassed in their workplace, with the majority of women not disclosing sexual harassment incidents to their employers. The survey undertaken by the Trades Union Congress and the Everyday Sexism Project indicated that 52 percent of adult women had been victims of unwanted touching, advances, and unwelcome jokes and comments.

For the youngest group of respondents, between the ages of 16 and 24, 63 percent reported incidences of sexual harassment. This cohort is more likely to work in either subordinate or temporary positions leaving them more vulnerable to harassment, according to the TUC. Nearly 80 percent said that they would not report the incidents to employers because they feared either embarrassment or retribution - which could impact their work relationships and career opportunities - or that they would not be believed.

Nearly one in eight women reported unwanted sexual touching or kissing attempts and one percent reported rape or serious sexual assault in the workplace. Close to a third of women reported that they had been the topic of sexual jokes at work. In almost 90 percent of the cases, the sexual harassment was carried out by a male, and in nearly 17 percent of instances, it involved a manager with direct authority over a woman.

A TUC spokesperson said that the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace can leave women frightened and ashamed and that workplaces and the government must do more to ensure the safety, respect and wellbeing of women in the workplace. "Things have not improved anywhere near as much as people would like to think," Laura Bates, the founder of Everyday Sexism Project, told Reuters. The study is estimated to be the largest of its type.