TIME magazine recognized the Silence Breakers for their forthcoming statements about sexual harassment in their work settings. All entertainers and high-profile women have advocated by raising their collective voices for the benefit not only of themselves but of other women and girls. But more than 10 years ago, Tarana Burke, began the social movement with women of color in the South and other major cities. An African American woman, she knew at the time that she was not alone in her experiences of sexual harassment and began to reach out, particularly to other women of color. Today, she continues her advocacy at a grass roots level, engaging women often left in silence.

In the November AAG newsletter, we noted that, surveys report that roughly 25% of all women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace ^[1]. Perhaps the statistics of non-celebrities were buried in the article because colleagues asked me about how sexual harassment affected women of color and blue-collar women. So that these facts are not overlooked, we have decided to restate the data this month.

• According to a report by the EEOC, minority women are more likely to experience harassment than their white peers^[2].
• Ethnic minorities experience the highest level of harassment in the workplace^[3].
• The incidence of harassment is higher in workplaces that have traditionally excluded women, including both blue collar jobs like construction, and white-collar ones like medicine and science^[1].
  • Women of color in astronomy report feeling unsafe at work, attending conferences, and conducting field research ^[4].
• Women working in industries with a high proportion of low-wage jobs, such as food service and agriculture, report high incidences of sexual harassment^[1].
• The restaurant industry is the largest source of sexual harassment claims^[5].
  • In a survey of 4,300 restaurant workers, 1 in 10 reported that they, or a co-worker, had experienced sexual harassment.
  • Restaurant workers described harassment as “inevitable” and “the norm.”
  • Most often, workers were abused and harassed daily and faced some form of retaliation for complaining.
• Farmworkers and janitors reported similar experiences^[5].
• Hotel cleaners may be the most vulnerable to assault^[5].
  • “Workers report that male customers expose themselves, attempt to buy sexual services, grab and grope them and, in some cases, attempt to rape them.”
  • When you add in management that wants to keep (high) paying customers happy, it results in many workers feeling “pressure to endure insults and assaults as part of the job.”

All facts are very alarming, and it is likely apparent that women in the service industry are least likely to speak up and perhaps more easily dismissed from their job if they were to complain. I travel considerably and encounter women hotel cleaners regularly. I note that the highest percentage of women cleaners are women of color, hourly employees, and likely also immigrant because they speak with an accent. As mentioned above, they are more vulnerable to sexual assault by male guests who see them as unlikely to complain.

The public discourse about sexual harassment in the workplace will likely continue as will the #metoo movement. If it has not happened in your setting, initiate the conversation and see how it goes. Remember, sexual harassment is inclusive of everyone, and we have barely heard about the experiences of women of color.

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References

1. National Women’s Law Center (2016). Sexual harassment in the workplace. Retrieved from https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Sexual-Harassment-Fact-Sheet.pdf.
2. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2016). EEOC select task force on the study of harassment in the workplace. Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/task_force/harassment/upload/report.pdf.
3. Rospenda, K. M., Richman, J. A., & Shannon, C. A. (2009). Prevalence and mental health correlates of harassment and discrimination in the workplace: Results from a national study. Journal of interpersonal violence, 24(5), 819-843.
4. Clancy, K. B. H., Lee, K. M. N., Rodgers, E. M. & Richey, C. (2017). Double jeopardy in astronomy and planetary science: Women of color face greater risks of gendered and racial harassment. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 122, 1610–1623. doi: 10.1002/2017JE005256.
5. Slaughter, J. (2017). No casting couch for low-wage women, but lots of sexual harassment. Labor Notes. Retrieved from http://www.labornotes.org/2017/10/no-casting-couch-low-wage-women-lots-sexual-harassment.