Filed under DUH: Women face more harassment in the workplace than men.

 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released data confirming what plaintiff's employment attorneys (and Human resources professionals) already knew: that not only is sexual harassment targeting women more prevalent in the workplace so are all forms of discrimination and harassment and retaliation. (read the full EEOC report here) Of the nearly 30,000 complaints filed between 2018 and 2021, 78.2% of complaints  of sexual harassment were reported by women, and women made of 62% of the 98,000 total harassments charges alleging any basis (e.g. race, national origin). Keep in mind the numbers are much more sobering as 87% of sexual harassment victims still do not report the sexual harassment they suffer in the workplace for fear of retaliation. This number is down only a few percentage points since 2016.

    The numbers on the lack of reporting of sexual harassment was originally published in a 2016 EEOC report. Now updated to focus on charges alleging sexual harassment under Title VII filed with the agency beginning in 2018, when the #MeToo movement went viral. But the 2-3% increase in reports to the EEOC  do not show the whole story. Title VII requires an employer be a certain size before the statute offers protection. This Employment lawyer bore witness to a steep rise in calls by employees suffering sexual harassment in workplaces not covered by Title VII. 

These women were emboldened by the #MeToo movement and many felt it was finally safe to raise their voices and push back agaisnt harassment and assaults in the workplace. One example was a local paralegal who, disgusted by the hypocrisy she was surrounded by at her employment law firm workplace reported and then brought suit against her Seattle employment attorney employer for long-term sexual harassment culminating in assault. That lawsuit Merrin v. Teller can be read here.

Unfortunately, as with rape cases, (see Washington State untested rape kits report) there is still scant accountability for sexual harassment in the workplace and employees must weigh the very likely risk of retaliation against their statutory right to a safe workplace free from harassment, discrimination and sexual assault. 

For more information, contact this Seattle employment lawyer by providing information here. We will contact you as soon as possible if we can be of service.