The Nation : U.S. Report Cites Sexual Harassment

Nearly half of all women working for the federal government and more than one-tenth of all men have suffered from some form of sexual harassment, a government report said. The report by the Merit Systems Protection Board said 42% of female and 14% of male respondents to a survey believed they had experienced some form of sexual harassment between May, 1985, and May, 1987. The report defined harassment as any form of uninvited or unwanted sexual attention. “Unwanted sexual teasing, jokes, remarks or questions” were the most frequently reported type of harassment, the report said. The survey said only about 5% of those harassed filed official complaints. The harassment was estimated to have cost $267 million over two years in lost productivity and turnover. The problem appears to be most widespread at the State Department, where 52% of all the women surveyed reported sexual harassment.