Only 26% of women who have been discriminated against have reported it
Sexual harassment has impacted half of all adult women, according to the latest Economist/YouGov Poll. Even more, 64%, say they have experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly. But many have not reported it, suggesting that the recent public allegations of sexual misconduct may only be the tip of a far larger iceberg.
The extent of sexual harassment crosses political and age boundaries. And it seems that every generation of women passes through a time of harassment: well over half of women under the age of 45 who report harassment say it happened in the last five years. For women 45 and older, the experience took place longer ago.
Two-thirds of women who report harassment say they were harassed in the workplace. That’s especially true for those over the age of 30, who have been in the workplace longer. Three in four women with college degrees say they have been sexually harassed at work.
College graduates are more likely than those without college degrees to report discrimination. Still, only a third of college educated women say they have reported discrimination or unfair treatment.
Men and women are concerned both about sexual assaults going unreported or unpunished and false allegations of sexual assault. But women are more concerned about the former than the latter, while men are closely divided.
That’s especially true for women who report their own experience with harassment. By more than five to one, they believe unreported harassment is a bigger problem than false harassment claims.
For more, read complete results here.
Photo: Getty
