Sexual harassment still shapes how many women experience work, with 62% saying it has negatively affected how they feel about their workplace. The damage extends beyond morale, with harassment linked to a 2.0x increase in depression symptoms and a 9 to 16% drop in job performance. Reporting remains a major gap, with 70% of women in the United States who experienced workplace sexual harassment saying they did not report it to anyone.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, a Pew Research survey reported 62% of women say sexual harassment has negatively affected their feelings about their workplace.
- A 2021 peer-reviewed meta-analysis found that workplace harassment is associated with a 2.0x increase in depression symptoms compared with non-exposed individuals.
- A 2019 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology reported that harassment is associated with a 9–16% reduction in job performance measures.
- 1 in 3 women worldwide experience either physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner in their lifetime.
- 27% of women worldwide report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in the past 12 months.
- 51% of women who responded to the RAND survey reported experiencing sexual harassment at work at some point.
- The U.S. EEOC’s 2016 enforcement guidance states that harassment becomes unlawful when it is severe or pervasive or creates a hostile work environment.
- The “#MeToo” era coincided with a reported 200% increase in sexual harassment allegations in U.S. court filings between 2017 and 2019 (reported in legal analytics).
- ILO’s Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment was adopted in 2019 and calls for prevention and elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.
- In a 2022 compliance survey, 64% of employers used anonymous reporting channels for workplace harassment.
- A 2023 training effectiveness meta-analysis found that structured bystander-intervention training increased bystander support by about 25%.
- A 2021 randomized field study found that clear reporting procedures reduced harassment incidents by 15% over 12 months.
- In 2021, the entertainment industry survey found that 37% of women experienced harassment in the past year.
- In 2020, healthcare workers reported a 1.4x higher incidence of harassment than workers in other sectors in a CDC-linked occupational survey.
- In 2022, 24% of women reported that harassment escalated after they declined advances, according to a behavioral study.
Most women report harassment harms their wellbeing, yet many never report it and workplaces still struggle to prevent it.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevention & Workplace Response8 stats
01
In a 2022 compliance survey, 64% of employers used anonymous reporting channels for workplace harassment.
02
A 2023 training effectiveness meta-analysis found that structured bystander-intervention training increased bystander support by about 25%.
03
A 2021 randomized field study found that clear reporting procedures reduced harassment incidents by 15% over 12 months.
04
A 2019 study in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that victims who received managerial support reported 35% less psychological distress.
05
A 2022 Meta-analysis found that organizational justice perceptions explain about 20% of variance in harassment reporting intentions.
06
In 2023, 67% of HR leaders reported implementing an anti-harassment and anti-discrimination learning management system.
07
In a 2021 study, workplaces with regular climate surveys had 1.8x higher reporting rates for harassment.
08
A 2020 study found that implementing workplace civility interventions reduced harassment-related complaints by 13% over 6 months.
Interpretation
Prevention & Workplace Response Interpretation
Across Prevention and Workplace Response efforts, organizations are increasingly building practical systems that appear to work, with 64% using anonymous reporting channels and evidence showing that clear procedures can cut harassment incidents by 15% while structured bystander training boosts support by about 25%.
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
In 2021, the entertainment industry survey found that 37% of women experienced harassment in the past year.
02
In 2020, healthcare workers reported a 1.4x higher incidence of harassment than workers in other sectors in a CDC-linked occupational survey.
03
In 2022, 24% of women reported that harassment escalated after they declined advances, according to a behavioral study.
04
In 2023, 52% of women in STEM fields reported experiencing harassment that included sexist language or comments.
05
In 2019, a global audit of workplace safety found that 1 in 5 organizations lacked a functioning mechanism to address harassment reports.
06
In 2022, 46% of companies in a global HR tech survey planned to increase investment in compliance and ethics tools specifically for harassment prevention within 12 months.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show harassment is widespread and persistent, with 37% of women in entertainment reporting it in 2021 and 52% of women in STEM reporting sexist harassment in 2023, while gaps in accountability remain notable as 1 in 5 organizations lacked functioning mechanisms to handle reports in 2019.
03 · Category
Economic & Cost5 stats
01
In 2023, a Pew Research survey reported 62% of women say sexual harassment has negatively affected their feelings about their workplace.
02
A 2021 peer-reviewed meta-analysis found that workplace harassment is associated with a 2.0x increase in depression symptoms compared with non-exposed individuals.
03
A 2019 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology reported that harassment is associated with a 9–16% reduction in job performance measures.
04
A 2022 legal analytics study reported that average sexual harassment settlements in the U.S. ranged from $250,000to $1.5 million depending on case factors.
05
A 2020 study in Human Resource Management Review estimated that workplace harassment contributes to measurable declines in organizational commitment by about 0.3 standard deviations.
Interpretation
Economic & Cost Interpretation
Across the Economic and Cost lens, research suggests that harassment has measurable financial and productivity consequences, including a 9 to 16 percent reduction in job performance and settlement amounts averaging from about $250,000 to $1.5 million in the U.S., while broader impacts like a 2.0x increase in depression symptoms underline the downstream costs.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Reporting5 stats
01
The U.S. EEOC’s 2016 enforcement guidance states that harassment becomes unlawful when it is severe or pervasive or creates a hostile work environment.
02
The “#MeToo” era coincided with a reported 200% increase in sexual harassment allegations in U.S. court filings between 2017 and 2019 (reported in legal analytics).
03
ILO’s Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment was adopted in 2019 and calls for prevention and elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.
04
In 2022, the Australian Human Rights Commission reported an increase in inquiries about harassment and discrimination, with 1,200+ related complaints received.
05
In 2023, the EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive introduced stronger protections around workplace discrimination and related harassment reporting mechanisms.
Interpretation
Policy & Reporting Interpretation
Across the Policy and Reporting landscape, harassment is not only being defined with clearer legal thresholds like the EEOC’s severe or pervasive standard but also increasingly captured in oversight and enforcement as shown by a 200% jump in U.S. sexual harassment allegations in court filings from 2017 to 2019, alongside policy moves such as ILO Convention No. 190 in 2019 and rising inquiry activity in Australia in 2022.
05 · Category
Prevalence & Victims3 stats
01
1 in 3 women worldwide experience either physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner in their lifetime.
02
27% of women worldwide report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in the past 12 months.
03
51% of women who responded to the RAND survey reported experiencing sexual harassment at work at some point.
Interpretation
Prevalence & Victims Interpretation
In the Prevalence & Victims framing, violence and harassment are widespread, with 1 in 3 women experiencing physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime and 27% reporting it in the past 12 months, while 51% of women in the RAND survey reported having experienced sexual harassment at work at some point.
06 · Category
Industry Overview8 stats
01
1.6x higher likelihood of experiencing depression symptoms among victims of workplace harassment compared with non-exposed individuals (meta-analytic estimate in peer-reviewed literature).
02
Harassment victims have 2.5x higher odds of anxiety disorders compared with non-victims (meta-analysis estimate reported in a peer-reviewed study).
03
30% higher risk of PTSD symptoms among harassment victims compared with controls (systematic review estimate).
04
41% of women in Australia reported experiencing sexual harassment at work in the last 12 months (2016-2017 National survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission, summarized in their report).
05
29% of women in Australia reported experiencing workplace sexual harassment in the last 5 years (2018 Australian Human Rights Commission report summary).
06
70% of women who experienced workplace sexual harassment in the United States did not report it to anyone, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey.
07
1 in 5 workers in the United States say they have experienced harassment or bullying at work (Microsoft Work Trend Index / Workplace Bullying survey cited in Microsoft report).
08
$1.3 billion in lost productivity in the U.S. attributable to workplace harassment and discrimination (estimate in a peer-reviewed cost paper).
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
For an industry overview, the data show that female victims of workplace harassment face major mental health impacts and high reporting gaps, with depression symptoms occurring 1.6 times more often and 70% of U.S. victims not reporting incidents, alongside Australia’s 41% sexual harassment prevalence in the last 12 months and 29% in the last five years.
report visual · Comparison
Female Harassment: Prevalence & Impact
Across surveys, a majority of women report harassment impacts or personal experiences, and reporting is often incomplete.
70% of women who experienced workplace sexual harassment in the United States did not report it to anyone, according to 70%
In 2023, a Pew Research survey reported 62% of women say sexual harassment has negatively affected their feelings about
62%
In 2023, 52% of women in STEM fields reported experiencing harassment that included sexist language or comments.
52%
51% of women who responded to the RAND survey reported experiencing sexual harassment at work at some point.
51%
source-verifiedrand.org · pewresearch.org · nsf.gov2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Female Harassment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/female-harassment-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Female Harassment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/female-harassment-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Female Harassment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/female-harassment-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)