The purpose of this brief survey is to gather feedback from individuals who have experienced workplace sexual harassment in order to inform a forthcoming report from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). This study is not intended to provide nationally representative data on the incidence of sexual harassment, but rather is intended to gain some personal perspectives with the goal of helping policymakers, employers, and the general public better understand the impact of sexual harassment. Your responses will not be shared without your permission, but later in the survey we will ask whether you are willing to have your responses shared.
Some may assume that sexual harassment only occurs in certain industries or is only experienced by young women. Others may assume that only very specific behavior can “count” as sexual harassment. In this survey, we are interested in stories of all types of workplace sexual harassment across all populations, socio-economic levels, and all age ranges. In particular, we will be focusing on how workplace sexual harassment impacts women in the mid to late phases of their careers.
Because we are interested in hearing from people who have experienced all types of sexual harassment in the workplace or in educational settings, it’s important to begin by defining the term. Generally speaking, sexual harassment falls into any one or a combination of the following categories:
· Sexual coercion, which includes sexual advances that make the conditions of employment contingent on sexual cooperation;
· Unwanted sexual attention, which may include sexual advances, unwelcome expressions of sexual or omantic interest, unwanted touching, or persistent requests for dates or sexual contact; and
· Sex-based harassment, constituting verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey insulting, hostile, and degrading attitudes about members of a gender, including demeaning comments that are based on gender, but need not be sexual in nature.
All forms of sexual harassment are discriminatory. Women are more likely than men to experience sexual harassment, but sexual harassment can be experienced by people of any gender or sexual orientation. Some subgroups as well as people with certain characteristics may be more likely to experience discrimination than are other people. For example, you may have also experienced race-based or age-based harassment as well.
If you wish to continue the survey, please click continue below. You may exit the survey at any time without completing it. At the end of the survey, you will be asked about whether you are willing to have any of your responses shared in the future and under what circumstances—either with your first name attribution or anonymously. We will never share any of your responses without your consent.