Foreword - Working without fear: Results of the Sexual Harassment National Telephone Survey (2012)

Sex Discrimination

Working without fear:

Results of the Sexual Harassment National Telephone Survey

Foreword

I am pleased to present Working without Fear: Results of the 2012 Sexual Harassment National Telephone Survey, which outlines the findings of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s latest survey on the prevalence, nature and reporting of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. This is the third such survey undertaken by the Commission and, importantly, it provides the only national and trend data on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that a reasonable person would anticipate could make the person harassed feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. It is unlawful in Australia.

Yet, the survey shows, once again, that sexual harassment is widespread in Australian workplaces. Just over one in five people (21%) over the age of
15 years experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the past five years. Sexual harassment is a particular problem for women.
A quarter of women (25%) experienced sexual harassment in the workplace during this period, 90% of whom said they were harassed by a man. But sexual harassment is not confined to women as targets: one in six men (16%) experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the past five years.

One of the most concerning findings of the 2012 National Survey is that progress in addressing workplace sexual harassment has stalled in this country. Another concerning finding is that there have been limited advances in improving awareness and rates of reporting.

This has happened in spite of stronger legislative protections against sexual harassment and the steps taken by many Australian workplaces to prevent and address sexual harassment.

It is time to renew our commitment to eradicating sexual harassment from all our workplaces. It is also time for all of us – employers, employees, unions, employer associations and other concerned individuals – to take a stand, to play a part in ensuring that sexual harassment has no place in Australian workplaces. Women and men must be able to work without fear. After all, being safe at work is a basic human right.

As previous waves of the survey have identified, eradicating sexual harassment will require measures to ensure that employees have a solid understanding of sexual harassment and their rights and obligations in the workplace. It will also require employers and unions to create workplaces where employees are supported to make complaints and feel confident that employers will deal with their complaints effectively and efficiently.

We also need to look at new and innovative approaches to addressing sexual harassment. One such approach – explored in a recent Commission report entitled Encourage. Support. Act! Bystander Approaches to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace – is to enlist the help of bystanders (ie individuals who witness sexual harassment in the workplace or are informed about it later). This has been one area where I have heard many positive stories about the impact of standing up against sexual harassment.

The 2012 National Survey shows that 13% of the Australian population aged
15 years and older are bystanders and a majority (51%) of bystanders have taken action to prevent and reduce the harm of workplace sexual harassment. Given that bystander intervention is a potentially invaluable component of sexual harassment prevention in the workplace, it is important that bystanders are supported and empowered to take action. This will require a substantial shift in organisational culture. We need to send a clear message that sexual harassment ruins lives, divides teams and damages the effectiveness of organisations.

The results of the 2012 National Survey will improve understanding of sexual harassment in Australia. However, by itself, the National Survey is not enough. Eradicating sexual harassment from our workplaces and ensuring that women and men can work without fear will also require everyone to play a part. Together we can prevent and reduce the harm of sexual harassment and take immediate and effective action when it occurs.

Elizabeth Broderick
Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Australian Human Rights Commission

October 2012

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