Media industry has highest prevalence of sexual harassment, finds Australian Human Rights Commission
A new report from The Australian Human Rights Commission has found 81% of workers in the media, information and telecommunications industries have been sexually harassed in the last five years.
It found that of these cases of sexual harassment, almost one third (28%) took place at a work social event, such as after-work drinks or a function.
The findings come from AHRC’s national survey of 10,000 workers, titled ‘Everyone’s business: Fourth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces’.
The prevalence of sexual harassment in the media, information and telecommunications industries is significantly higher than the next-most prevalent industry, arts and recreation services, in which 49% of workers have been harassed over the same time period.
It was also significantly higher than the national average prevalence rate, which stands at 33%.
Source: The Australian Human Rights Commission (click to enlarge)
The information, media and telecommunications category was one of the few in which more men reported sexual harassment than women, with 83% of men compared to 80% of women stating they had been sexually harassed in the last five years.
Source: The Australian Human Rights Commission (click to enlarge)
Sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins noted how formal reporting of workplace sexual harassment remains low, with fewer than one in five people (17%) making a report or complaint.
“We know from our research that many people are afraid to report their experiences of unwelcome sexual conduct out of fear that they won’t be believed, that it’s not worth it, that they’ll be ostracised and that it could damage their career.
“It’s also worrying that almost half of those who did make a formal report said that nothing changed at their organisation, as a result of the complaint.
“Unwelcome sexual conduct on this scale in the workplace not only causes distress to workers and colleagues, it impacts workplace productivity and impedes career progression, which has an economic impact on businesses and families,” commissioner Jenkins said.
The survey results will inform the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Inquiry into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, which will begin public consultations later this month.
NOW, Australia’s answer to the #MeToo movement led by veteran journalist Tracey Spicer, has responded to the report, calling the findings “worrying, but not entirely surprising”.
NOW’s chair, consultant LJ Loch, said: “The last year has seen a global outpouring of experiences of harassment and assault in our workplaces – laying to rest any suggestion that such experiences are no longer common.”
“The results of the survey”, added Loch, “also bust the myth of the ‘confused man’ who claims the ‘new’ vigilance against sexual harassment and assault in our workplaces has left him concerned he will be called out for ‘accidentally’ putting a foot wrong.
“The survey clearly indicates that the majority of sexual harassment is part of a common, ongoing, and habitual culture of harassment,” she said. “This is a clear call to action for employers to actively tackle the culture within their workplaces.”
I can certainly vouch for the scale of this. At least there is something tangible now. That’s pretty horrifying I must say. We’re way behind the 8 ball on all this and that old saying ‘Insanity is keeping on doing the same thing and expect a different result outcome’. It is time some radical shifts were made and more accountability.
This absolutely can only come from the CEO’s. As a business coach I learned that no matter how much the boss wanted me to come in and ‘fix the people’ or ‘fix the process’, without doubt it came back to the CEO every time. The CEO’s need to take charge of the fixing.
This problem indicates some serious issues that translate to bias in the way we work and the work we produce. I’m not sitting back any more that’s for sure. I’ve had my fair share of discrimination, stemming back to very recently in fact. Time for something different.
Great article with very tangible data to support what many of us have known for some time.
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What’s also incredible is that this is on a huge sample – n=1201 for information, media and telecommunications.
That men and women within this industry are equal prevalence of sexual harassment should also be a big wake up call, especially if there is any digging into the differences of experiences between genders.
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Who would have thought an industry full of egotists that run off poke bowls. alcohol and chronic Bondi marching powder consumption would foster a culture of sexual harassment?
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Utterly unsurprising and completely unacceptable. This has to change.
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So let me get this straight – and I’m not trying to be funny or clever here – more than 4 out of 5 men in this industry have been sexually harassed in the last 5 years? I actually find that really difficult to believe. And please don’t crucify me here.
So does a study like this, that finds such an extraordinarily and seemingly disproportionately high number of cases need to preface their results, or at least explain how the numbers are arrived at? Because it seems to me that without context, the figures will get dismissed by many is simply ludicrous. Which I have to admit was my first reaction. And perhaps it’s due to definition, I don’t know.
And please, before anyone jumps on me accusing me of blindness and white male privilege, just think for a second about that statistic. 4 out of the 5 men you and I know in the industry, have been sexually harassed.
Do you, dear reader, personally believe that 4 out of 5 men you know in this industry have been sexually harassed? Which then begs the question by whom?
I wondered if they ‘say’ they’ve been harassed, or does the study ‘define’ that they’ve been harassed? I couldn’t be make it out from the methodology which is available in a link.
Does showing a fellow male colleague an explicit picture he is uncomfortable about, get defined as sexual harassment? Because before we collectively get on our outrage boxes, we really should know exactly what we are getting outraged about.
I’d be interested to know what other people think. And ideally comments won’t descend into personal attacks and accusations. Unfortunately keyboard warriors are the death of intelligent and reasoned debate. And we all know that outrage is the currency of social media, but how can we have discussion about something so important if we just automatically take sides?
Cheers.
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Hey, don’t drag me into this.
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Last 5 years seem utterly improbable. If this was actually based on the period from 1985 to 1990 it would be no surprise. Those media department girls back then (and media was exclusively a female domain until the late 80’s) were complete predators when it came to any male under 25 roaming the agency corridors after a couple of glasses of Houghton’s Classic White.
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