TUC survey: 7 in 10 disabled women say they’ve been sexually harassed at work

• TUC publishes first UK major report into sexual harassment of disabled women at work 

• Most disabled women surveyed told the TUC they have been sexually harassed at work – and 1 in 8 of those say they left their jobs because of this 

• TUC calls for a new duty on employers to protect all their staff from sexual harassment at work 

Around 7 in 10 (68%) disabled women surveyed about sexual harassment say they have been sexually harassed at work, according to a new poll published by the TUC. 

And younger disabled women aged 18 to 34 are even more likely to have experienced sexual harassment, with almost 8 out of 10 (78%) reporting being harassed at work. 

Sexual harassment 

A ground-breaking TUC study on sexual harassment published in 2016 found that more than half (52%) of women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. And in a further TUC survey in 2019, nearly 7 in 10 (68%) lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people reported being sexually harassed at work 

Sexual harassment at work can take many forms, from suggestive remarks, jokes about a colleague’s sex life, circulating pornography, to inappropriate touching, hugging or kissing, demands for sexual favours, and even assault and rape. 

This new TUC survey – which is the first major study into the sexual harassment of disabled women at work in Great Britain, and was carried out by YouGov – found that of those surveyed: 

• Around 2 in 5 (38%) have experienced unwelcome sexual advances at work. 
• More than 1 in 3 (36%) say they have experienced unwanted touching. 
• Almost 1 in 5 (18%) experienced sexual assault, such as unwanted sexual touching. 
• And 1 in 25 (4%) have experienced a serious sexual assault or rape at work. 

Reporting 

Two-thirds (67%) of disabled women who experienced sexual harassment at work told the TUC that they did not report the harassment to their boss the most recent time it happened. Of these, the most common reason was that they did not believe they would be taken seriously (39%). 

Some said they were worried it would have a negative impact on their career or work relationships (30%). Other reasons included not thinking they would be believed (13%) or thinking they would be blamed if they reported the incident (11%). 

And unfortunately, of those who did report the most recent instance of sexual harassment, more than half (53%) said it was not dealt with satisfactorily. 

Impact 

Disabled women told the TUC that sexual harassment had a big effect on their lives. 

Around 1 in 3 (34%) said their experiences had a negative impact on their mental health. More than 1 in 5 (21%) said it negatively affected their relationships with colleagues. And it caused 1 in 8 (12%) to leave their job or employer entirely.  

Disabled women face significant barriers getting into work and to getting paid the same as non-disabled workers, says the TUC. 

TUC research in October 2020 found that disabled women earned 36% less than non-disabled men. And the analysis found that the unemployment gap for disabled women, when compared to non-disabled men was 32.6 percentage points. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “No one should face sexual harassment at work. But seven in ten disabled women say they have been sexually harassed by a colleague or a customer while at work.  

“Four years on from the explosion of #MeToo on a global scale, employers still aren’t doing enough to make sure women are safe at work. It’s time for every employer to take responsibility for protecting their staff from sexual harassment.  

“Ministers must change the law to make employers protect workers from sexual harassment specifically, and from all forms of harassment by customers and clients.  

“Anyone worried about sexual harassment at work should get in touch with their union.” 

Ministers must act 

The TUC is calling on the government to take a range of actions including: 

• Introduce a new duty to prevent sexual harassment, putting an enforceable legal requirement on all employers to protect their workers from harassment. 
• Strengthen legislation to tackle third-party harassment in the upcoming employment bill. 
• Increase funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission so it can enforce the new duty to prevent sexual harassment. 
• Introduce a statutory code of practice on sexual harassment and harassment at work, setting out the steps that employers should take to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, and what can be considered in evidence when determining whether the duty has been breached.