Sexual harassment is often compounded by insecure work which deters working people from raising issues and seeking help – according to a new survey commissioned by the ACTU.
Women are more likely to be in insecure work, leaving them at greater risk of harm in the workplace.
26 per cent of retail and 22 per cent of health workers reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace in the last 12 months according to an ACTU survey – both predominantly female workforces that are frequently employed on a casual, insecure basis.
Insecure workers were significantly more like than permanent workers to not take any action after an incident of violence or harassment (50% vs 32%), because they feared negative consequences for themselves.
Women were also far less likely than men to take action after experiencing crude or offensive behaviour (53% vs 43%) and unwanted sexual attention (31% vs 25%).
