Women have made amazing strides into fields that are traditionally male-dominated. This has led to some of these women being sexually harassed at work, but that type of behavior isn’t ever acceptable. Regardless of how few females work for a company or are traditionally in a specific role, no woman should ever be subjected to sexual harassment.
The tech industry is one of those that’s often associated with men, and it’s one that has a high rate of sexual harassment of women. The type of behavior women are dealing with in this industry is shocking. Employers should be taking a firm stance against sexual harassment.
What types of sexual harassment are common in the tech industry?
Sexual harassment doesn’t include only unwanted physical contact. It also includes slurs, propositions and similar behaviors. One report, The State of Women in Tech, has done more than one survey about sexual harassment in the industry. It found that around 44% of women founders were subjected to sexual harassment in 2020, and that was the same as the previous survey from three years prior.
More than half of women in this industry, 54%, were subjected to unwanted physical contact. Around 75% were told offensive things masked as jokes. One point that increased dramatically was the number of women who were propositioned for sexual activities. In 2017, 5% of women reported this behavior in the workplace. That shot up to 35% of women in the 2020 survey.
How can sexual harassment in the tech industry be stopped?
Women in the tech industry should speak up if they’re being sexually harassed. Some prefer not to talk about it and others worry about retaliation if they file a report. Even though retaliation is illegal, it’s still more common than what some people want to believe.
Anyone can report sexual harassment, so everyone who sees these events happening should also speak up. Employers who receive these reports must investigate them and immediately address the sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment isn’t acceptable in any form. Anyone who’s been sexually harassed should ensure they take appropriate action. This might be a sensitive matter to handle, but working with someone who can help you to protect your rights and who understands these situations is beneficial.