91影视破解版

On the day that employers face new responsibilities to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, 91影视破解版 researchers warn that nearly half of women surveyed have experienced harassment at work during their careers.

In a new policy briefing, Professor Sonia Bhalotra and Dr Matthew Ridley reveal key findings from their research: workplace sexual harassment is common, carries costs for women鈥檚 health and working lives, and is rarely reported to employers.

In recent survey work carried out by Warwick and presented in the briefing, 45% of women said they had experienced workplace sexual harassment at some point in their careers. Among women who said they鈥檇 experienced harassment in the previous year, 52% feared their employer would retaliate if they reported it, and 33% said their harasser had some power over their future career. Only 18% said they had reported the incident to their employer.

The policy briefing comes as the legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment strengthens on 30 October. Employers previously needed to take some 鈥榬easonable steps鈥� to prevent sexual harassment, but they will now be expected to take all reasonable steps with no exceptions.

The Warwick study also records harms reported by women who have experienced harassment in the previous year:

• 39% said it had worsened their mental health
• 48% found it harder to do their job,
• 37% said they were absent from work more often,
• 6% said they had quit their job as a result.

Across the women surveyed, 46% said they would accept a 10% pay cut to avoid a job where a recent incident of harassment had occurred.

Dr Matthew Ridley from 91影视破解版鈥檚 Department of Economics said:

鈥淥ur study makes clear that enforcing the law in this area is a real problem and that low reporting should not be mistaken for low levels of workplace harassment. Only 1 in 5 women who experience sexual harassment report it to their employer, and 1 in 2 fear that their employer would retaliate if they spoke up.

鈥淓nforcing sexual harassment law often relies on people bringing cases against their employer in tribunal - but this is difficult to do. Our research shows that 1 in 3 women experiencing workplace sexual harassment are harassed by someone with power over their career. The new law has added legal liability on employers but how much difference will that make in practice if victims feel they can't come forward to report what is happening to them?鈥�

The Warwick study also found gaps in knowledge of legal rights: 26% of respondents did not know that employers could be liable for sexual harassment at work, while 56% incorrectly believed a person had to prove harassment beyond reasonable doubt for an employer to take action.

Dr Ridley continues, 鈥淧eople often don't know their own legal rights which makes it difficult to navigate the tribunal system. Our study shows that when members of the public learn about these barriers, support for stronger enforcement of sexual harassment law increases significantly.鈥�

Professor Sonia Bhalotra added: 鈥淣early half of the women in our survey said they would accept a 10% pay cut to avoid a job where a recent incident of sexual harassment had occurred. That is a striking signal of the value people place on a safe workplace. Alongside the effects that victims are reporting on their health, attendance and ability to work, it shows why preventing harassment matters to employers as well as to workers.鈥�

Notes

• The research is by Professor Sonia Bhalotra and Dr Matthew Ridley. Perceptions of Workplace Sexual Harassment and Support for Policy Action, CAGE Working Paper No. 797/2026, conditionally accepted at the Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics.
• The 45% lifetime estimate comes from the study鈥檚 benchmark survey, which included 408 women. The figures on reported harms, fear of retaliation, perceived career power and reporting refer to women who said they had experienced harassment in the previous year; each of those measures is based on 43 responses. The 46% pay-cut figure was measured among all women in the benchmark survey.
• The wider research included a main survey of 6,000 participants and a follow-up survey.
• The survey measured participants鈥� reported experiences and perceptions; the reported harms are self-reported.
• ACAS guidance on the law change: