The majority of sexual harassment claims filed across California and the United States come from women. However, men are not immune to this type of treatment. Studies show that men experience workplace sexual harassment far more than many people think – and likely far more often than they report.
Per the Washington Post, almost one out of every five sexual harassment claims filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission come from men.
Sexual harassment among males
About 10% of male employees report that they have experienced some type of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct during their careers. More often than not, the party who sexually harasses a male at work is also male. While many victims of sexual harassment never come forward and make formal reports of their experiences, making reports is even less common among males.
Sexual harassment reporting
Often, male victims of sexual harassment neglect to come forward because they fear doing so makes them appear less “manly.” In other cases, they might avoid calling attention to the harassment they experienced because they fear others are not going to believe them, or because they feel embarrassed or humiliated about what occurred.
Sexual harassment examples
Workplace sexual harassment takes on many forms. Sometimes, it manifests in the form of a dirty joke or lewd comment. In other cases, it involves one party with power exerting that power in a way that makes an employee feel ill at ease.
Sexual harassment has the potential to make a workplace uncomfortable or even unbearable. Victims of sexual harassment have options and may want to weigh these options before deciding how to move forward.
