California Workplace Sexual Harassment Statistics (2024)

Being subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace can be tough to address and overcome. For some, they would rather not report the incident, for numerous reasons, in hopes that it will go away. Unfortunately, sexual harassment occurs in all states, including California. Looking at the California workplace sexual harassment statistics can help us understand the amount of workplace sexual harassment taking place and what we can do to help prevent it.

What Is Sexual Harassment?

To fully understand the statistics, we must first understand what, exactly, is sexual harassment. A common example is when a male employee makes unwelcome sexual advances toward a female employee. While this may be a part of it, things have changed over the years to include more types of incidents than that.

Sexual harassment also includes harassment based on a person’s sex or gender. Therefore, the harassment does not necessarily have to be sexual in nature. A woman can sexually harass a man, and sexual harassment can be experienced by someone of the same sex as well.

Workplace Sexual Harassment Examples

It is nearly impossible to share every instance that could be sexual harassment in the workplace. However, some examples of sexual harassment include:

• Making disparaging comments about women around female employees
• Offering to promote an employee in exchange for sexual favors
• Touching or otherwise physically contacting another employee without consent
• Publicly exposing and/or touching one’s genitals
• Sending explicit photos, text messages, or emails
• Making comments about someone’s sexual orientation or sexual orientation in general
• Making sexual or sexist comments or crude jokes

These are just some of the instances that can be considered workplace sexual harassment. If you are unsure whether you experienced workplace sexual harassment or not, a sexual harassment attorney can help you.

California Workplace Sexual Harassment Statistics

California remains a state where sexual harassment often occurs, particularly in the workplace.

• In 2023, 337 sexual harassment claims were filed through the EEOC, a drastic increase from 225 the previous year.
• This total was 4.4% of the national average in 2023.
• In a study conducted in 2019 in California, 36% of women reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace.
• In that same study, 28% of men experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

These statistics show that workplace sexual harassment is still prevalent. Unfortunately, we may never know exactly how common workplace sexual harassment is, as many incidents go unreported.

Some people may fear their work environment becoming more hostile, retaliation, or losing their jobs if they report the incident. Others may feel embarrassed or ashamed of the harassment and do not want to talk about it in a formal complaint. Yet others may believe that they are perhaps overreacting to the situation and talk themselves out of its seriousness. However, it is every employee’s right to report workplace sexual harassment and be protected from retaliation.

Additional Workplace Sexual Harassment Findings

In these studies, additional findings were found as it relates to workplace sexual harassment in California. Some of these include:

• California has historically ranked higher than the national average for sexual harassment cases.
• Groups that are at higher risk of sexual harassment include members of the LGBT+ community and those of foreign descent.
• Most workplace sexual assault goes unreported.
• Some people who experienced sexual harassment were unaware that the incident could be considered sexual harassment thus they did not report it.
• A large portion of employers either did not take the incident seriously enough or ignored it completely.
• Women have generally been more likely to report sexual harassment than men.

Impact of Workplace Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment has a significant effect on an organization’s culture as a whole. It creates a climate of distrust and dread. When workers witness or experience harassment, they may feel unsafe, which raises their stress and anxiety levels. This can have a negative impact on employees’ productivity.

A productive and good work environment is dependent on a sense of security, which can be diminished by these instances. Workers’ concentration and productivity are severely hindered when they are worried about their own safety and well-being. When this happens, trust is broken.

This lack of trust can result in decreased morale, lower job satisfaction, and higher turnover rates. Employees are more likely to disengage and withdraw from their roles, leading to a loss of talent and a decrease in overall productivity.

Workplace harassment can also have a significant negative impact on a company’s reputation. This can make it difficult to draw in top talent and may cause the company to suffer intense criticism from the public, especially in our connected world today.

FAQs

Q: How Common Is Sexual Assault in California?

A: In California, sexual assault tends to rank higher than the national average. In comparison to the rest of the country, it is fairly high. However, many sexual assault incidents remain unreported, so we may never know exactly how common it truly is. This points to a larger problem that goes beyond the available statistics.

Q: What Are the Outcomes of Harassment?

A: The outcomes of harassment are serious consequences that impact both individuals and businesses. For their part, firms can suffer financial costs, lost productivity, high turnover rates, and damage to their reputations. Victims may experience anxiety, depression, and career losses. They may also experience physical pain and discomfort if the harassment becomes physical.

Q: What Qualifies as a Hostile Work Environment?

A: A hostile work environment happens when unwelcome behavior based on protected characteristics is so severe or widespread that it disrupts work performance and fosters an abusive atmosphere. This covers actions such as disparaging remarks, unwelcome physical contact, and sharing offensive content. The victim’s capacity to work must be seriously impacted by the wrongdoing.

Q: What Makes a Strong Harassment Case?

A: A strong harassment case can include consistent testimonies from the victim and witnesses, documentation of incidents, and evidence of the harassment’s effects on the victim and their work performance. Also, proving a pattern of wrongdoing, the fact that the victim reported the harassment, and the employer’s response might help strengthen the case.

Contact Us Today

If you have been the victim of workplace sexual harassment, the Fulton Law Corporation can help you determine your next steps. Contact us today for more information.