Workplace Sexual Harassment: Experts Suggest Expanding Data Collection to Improve Understanding of Prevalence and Costs

Abstract

Limited nationwide data hinder a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and costs of workplace sexual harassment. According to GAO's analysis of available federal data and literature review, the few reliable nationwide estimates of sexual harassment's prevalence vary substantially due to differences in methodology, including the question structure and time period the survey used. Moreover, the likelihood of experiencing workplace sexual harassment can vary based on an individual's demographic characteristics - such as gender, race, and age - and whether the workplace is male- or female dominated. For example, women, younger workers, and women in male dominated workplaces were more likely to say they experienced harassment. GAO did not find any recent cost estimates of workplace sexual harassment, but identified four broad categories of costs: health, productivity, career, and reporting and legal costs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1151805

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  • Cindy S. Brown Barnes

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  • United States Government Accountability Office

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