Six
in ten working women have had a male colleague behave ‘inappropriately’ towards
them, new research has revealed.
The
study showed that women were still subjected to sexist attitudes at work with
the old clichés of men slipping a hand up their skirt or patting them on the
bum still a regular occurrence for some women.
While
nearly a quarter of women have experienced a senior colleague making a pass at
them at some point in their career.
When
it came to inappropriate comments and touching more than half of the offenders
were more senior members of staff and two thirds of women said the
inappropriate behaviour came from a married man.
But
despite saying that the behaviour of their colleagues was often degrading and
embarrassing only 27 per cent reported the behaviour to someone senior.
The research polled 1,036 women and was commissioned
by employment law specialists Slater & Gordon.
Claire Dawson, employment lawyer at Slater & Gordon said: “We deal with
some really shocking cases of sexual harassment in the workplace but it’s
always surprising to hear how widespread the issue is and how many women don’t
feel like they can report behaviour like this.
“We
are well in to the 21st century now and the message doesn’t seem to have got
through to everyone that this just isn’t acceptable. Women have a right to go
to work without having to fend off unwanted advances or inappropriate behaviour
from members of the opposite sex.”
“Unfortunately
this research confirms what we often see which is that the woman who is being
harassed ends up being unfairly disadvantaged because of it.”
More
than a third said a senior male colleague had made inappropriate comments about
their breasts, sex life, bum or the clothes they were wearing.
One
in six women had been forced to fend off a colleague who tried to kiss them and
twelve per cent had a colleague place his hand on her behind.
Women
also reported incidents where colleagues put their hands up their skirt,
touched their legs or thighs and put their hands in the small of their back.
Of
the sixty per cent that said they have experienced inappropriate behaviour from
colleagues 21 per cent classed the behaviour as persistent.
The
most common places for women to experienced inappropriate behaviour were at
their desk while they were working late, at an office party or in a staff
corridor or lift.
Two
thirds said they think that senior people think they can behave however they
want with younger colleagues and one in five have wanted to leave a job after
an incident.
The
research showed that after an incident of inappropriate behaviour women often
found themselves ignored by the member of staff or even bad-mouthed or
embarrassed.
Of
the 24 per cent of women that had a superior make a move on them five per cent
then lost their job and more than one in ten said they had been turned down for
a promotion.
Nearly
half of the women polled had been warned to expect inappropriate behaviour from
a certain colleague while the same amount said they thought sexist behaviour
would always exist in the workplace.
Only
14 per cent of women are confident that in a few generations sexual
discrimination will be a thing of the past while nearly a fifth of women felt
that they may have had a more successful career if they had been more receptive
to colleague’s flirtatious behaviour.
Claire Dawson, employment lawyer at Slater & Gordon said: “We see
clients who have been blamed for bringing the treatment on themselves because
of what they wear or how they are perceived by others, and clients who have
been bullied, denied promotion or even physically assaulted when they refuse a
colleague’s advances or make it clear that the harassment is not welcome.
“It’s
frustrating to hear these stories as a lawyer and it’s important for women to
be aware of what their rights are. They shouldn’t feel like this behaviour is
acceptable and that it is something that comes with the job.”