WASHINGTON, D.C. : Military Poll Finds Harassment Is Down

An extensive Defense Department survey shows a significant reduction in the number of women in uniform who report sexual harassment, but more than half still say they encounter offensive behavior. Defense officials said they were encouraged by the drop to 55%, down from 64% in 1988, but the officials also expressed surprise and distress at the continuing high incidence of offensive behavior. When asked in the poll about a wider-ranging list of possible forms of offensive behavior, 78% of the women said they had experienced some type in the previous year, although one-third indicated they did not consider the incidents sexual harassment.