A New Poll Shows How Common Sexual Harassment Is in the Workplace
A new poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC found 48% of female workers said they had personally experienced sexual harassment at work.
Meanwhile, 41% of employed men said they'd witnessed sexual harassment occur at work. And the vast majority of survey respondents agreed that sexual harassment in the workplace is quite common: 67% said they believe that sexual harassment takes place in most or almost all work environments, including 62% of men and 71% of women. In 1991, by contrast, when a similar poll was taken, 63% of Americans said they thought sexual harassment happened in most or almost all workplaces.
The new poll surveyed 900 adults, including 265 working women and 286 employed men.
The New York Times reporting into allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has prompted hundreds of women, and some men, to come forward with their stories of harassment. On Monday, actor Anthony Rapp accused actor Kevin Spacey of making sexual advances on him when he was a minor.
When asked in the WSJ/NBC poll if they had "received an unwelcome sexual advance or other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature at work," nearly half of women said yes.
The poll also found 38% of employed women said they believed they'd been paid less than a man for the same work, and that 37% felt their viewpoint was dismissed because of their gender.