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Not Speaking Out?



The reasons why sexual harassment cases are shrugged off by the victims or unreported may have something to do with the level of degradation the victims feel. This might sound silly, but if the woman or victim feels that they can handle the discomfort on their own, and that their health won't be affected, they don't see a reason to report. Considering the majority (85%) of women who have experienced sexual harassment claim their experiences were mostly of a verbal nature, they feel less obliged to report it, because it is not directly damaging their health, or so they believe. However, numerous studies show the effects of a women's mental health after being harassed and the effects these incidents have on her job performance thereafter, as she feels she is no longer in a safe environment. 


Another factor that may contribute to the women not reporting is due to the fact that in the majority of these cases the usual perpetrators are direct superiors, if not their immediate supervisors, then the next level above that. Which in retrospect, these are the people who the employees are supposed to feel safest with, and the most trusting with. 

“Organizational leaders pay millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements to complainants due to interpersonal workplace incidents each year (Johnson & Indvik, 1999; Meglich, 2008). The Department of Labor Women’s Bureau (DLWB) statistics from 2004 indicated that women comprise 47% of the workforce. Yet, more than 70% of organizations do not have a policy addressing domestic violence in the workplace (BLS, 2006; Katula, 2006; Keashly & Harvey, 2006; Johnson & Indvik, 1999; Meyer, 2004; Moe & Bell, 2004; Riger et al., 2004; Swanberg et al., 2005).” (Smith, 7)


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