Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces Survey Results

The ACTU survey into sexual harassment in the workplace has concluded.

More than 9,600 people participated in the survey between 18 September and 30 November 2018. This extraordinary response rate shows how important this issue is to working people.

Everyone should be able to go to work without being subjected to discrimination, harassment or violence. For many people – mainly women – this is not the reality. These survey results show that sexual harassment remains a persistent and widespread problem in Australian workplaces, which means our current laws are failing to protect Australian workers.

Two in three women and one in three men have been subject to one or more forms of sexual harassment at work.

Nearly two thirds – 64 percent – of women who responded to the survey said they’d experienced sexual harassment at a current or former workplace, along with 35 percent of men.

The most commonly form of harassment was crude or offensive behaviour, reported by 69 percent of respondents, with 48 percent experiencing unwanted sexual attention, 35 percent inappropriate touching and 18 percent explicit texts, emails or messages on social media. Eight percent of respondents had experienced sexual coercion.

We would like to sincerely thank every person who took the time to complete this important survey.

We recognise that sharing these stories would have been very difficult for many people. In doing so, you have made a significant contribution to the campaign to make Australian workplaces safe and free of sexual harassment.

Click here to see the full survey results

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