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If your boss, who has power over

Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 9:39 am
by zakiyatasnim
your career, is groping you or insisting on a late-night hotel room visit, you may be afraid to refuse or file a complaint, whether it's a man or a woman.

Sexual orientation and race
LGBTQ people and people of color are often perceived as lower on the social scale than straight Caucasians. So it’s no surprise (and horrifying) that these groups are particularly vulnerable to sexual assault in the workplace. Remember, #MeToo was started by a woman of color: Tarana Burke, a civil rights activist from the Bronx, launched the nascent movement in 2006.

Hispanic women report particularly high rates of sexual netherlands number data harassment (37%). When it comes to sexual assault, black women are particularly vulnerable, but unfortunately, they are not alone: ​​their “brothers” are also disproportionately targeted. The numbers are alarming: 21% of African-American male workers have been harassed (compared to 13% of all men) and 7% have been assaulted (compared to 4% of white men). Black men are targeted not only because they are perceived as vulnerable and exploitable, but also because they are viewed as objects of desire and fetishized by at least some female coworkers. This is an example of the problem and ugliness surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace.

When it comes to sexual orientation, the data is equally distressing, and some of the numbers are startling. LGBTQ employees are more likely than other groups to be harassed and attacked. Indeed, the rate for gay men is shockingly high (43% say they have experienced harassment, a number much higher than for women overall). Research in this area is just beginning. So it is impossible to paint a full picture of the experiences of people of color and LGBTQ employees at this time.

Sexual Misconduct and Seniority
How often is a predator higher (in terms of rank) than their victim in the world of sexual harassment? The short answer is often, but not always, especially when the victim is a man or a person of color.

70% of women who say they have been harassed at work report that they have experienced unacceptable behavior from a superior colleague. The rate for men is lower (59%). Indeed, 22% of men who have been harassed say they have been “harassed” by a colleague of lower rank. The rate for women is significantly lower (16%).



When it comes to assault, there are fewer gender differences. A high percentage of both women and men who have experienced sexual assault report being assaulted by a coworker at the same level as them in the company hierarchy (again, the figures add up to more than 100%, as some employees report being assaulted by coworkers at different levels of the company). The data for men seem to contradict the idea that power relations underlie sexual misconduct in the workplace. But given how many LGBT and black men experience harassment and assault, it’s safe to assume that these figures reflect the fact that social hierarchies related to sexual orientation and race matter as much as hierarchies at work.