As Women’s Equality Day approaches, we are reminded that women have made great progress in many areas yet still face gender-based discrimination in the workplace.
Workplace discrimination based on race, gender, age and sexuality disproportionally affects women. Forty four percent of women according to a recent survey by Deloitte state they have experienced harassment, microaggressions or both in the workplace, yet only about one fifth of the women who experience this behavior report it.
The lack of reporting contributes to the status quo of unsafe and toxic work cultures and hinders the ability of organizations to address any necessary changes that would challenge inequity in the workplace. It keeps systemic inequity deeply entrenched within many workplaces.
Reasons for lack of reporting
The primary reasons given by women for the hesitancy to report incidents are retaliation, including punishment and potential damage to their careers, as well as the lack of anonymity and trust. In fact, 74% of all employees expressed they would be more willing to report issues if they could do so anonymously.
Retaliation is very common. One study found that 68% of sexual harassment allegations and 42% of LGBTQ+ discrimination allegations made to the EEOC also include charges of employer retaliation.
Read the full article on Forbes.com.
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