Workplace sexual harassment is still widespread, with 25% of women reporting sexual harassment at work and 60% reporting unwanted sexual attention. In many cases it never reaches HR, since only 12% of incidents are formally reported. The numbers also track patterns by industry and role, including 55% of customer perpetrators in hospitality and 50% of perpetrators who are supervisors.
Key Takeaways
- 27% quit jobs due to harassment trauma
- Hospitality industry: 55% customer perpetrators
- 50% of perpetrators are supervisors
- 81% of women and 43% of men have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime
- 58% of women aged 25-35 report workplace sexual advances
Workplace sexual harassment remains common, underscoring the urgent need for stronger prevention and reporting.
Related reading
01 · Category
Impacts and Responses22 stats
01
27% quit jobs due to harassment trauma
02
Victims 3x more likely to suffer depression
03
42% of victims miss work days
04
Only 12% of incidents formally reported
05
EEOC sexual harassment charges: 7,510 in FY2020
06
60% of victims experience anxiety disorders
07
Retaliation in 40% of reports
08
Victims earn 10% less long-term
09
71% fear retaliation for reporting
10
Training reduces incidents by 25%
11
35% of cases settled out of court
12
PTSD in 19% of severe victims
13
Companies lose $2.6B/year in turnover
14
88% distrust employer response
15
Victims 2x more likely to leave profession
16
Hotlines increase reporting by 50%
17
45% of lawsuits result in monetary relief
18
Sleep disorders in 30% victims
19
Policy audits reduce claims 20%
20
66% victims change jobs within 2 years
21
Bystander intervention cuts incidents 15%
22
EEOC recoveries: $70M in 2022
Interpretation
Impacts and Responses Interpretation
This grim math reveals a corporate ecosystem where the staggering cost of silence and retaliation—measured in broken careers, shattered health, and billions lost—far outweighs the straightforward investment in trust, training, and accountability that could actually fix it.
02 · Category
Industry and Sector Data24 stats
01
Hospitality industry: 55% customer perpetrators
02
Tech sector: 28% of women harassed
03
Healthcare: 52% nurses report harassment
04
Finance: 36% incidence among women
05
Retail: 43% of female employees
06
Academia: 51% of female faculty
07
Military: 24% of women active duty
08
Journalism: 67% women experienced it
09
Construction: 74% women harassed
10
Entertainment: 87% women over career
11
Government: 33% federal workers
12
Manufacturing: 29% overall
13
Education K-12: 45% teachers
14
Law firms: 41% associates
15
Non-profits: 39% staff
16
Transportation: 58% drivers/waitstaff
17
Sports: 79% female athletes/coaches
18
Energy/Oil: 68% field workers women
19
Restaurants: 80% servers harassed by customers
20
Fashion: 60% models/employees
21
Automotive: 55% assembly line women
22
Telecom: 34% call center staff
23
Pharmaceuticals: 37% sales reps
24
Agriculture: 73% farmworkers
Interpretation
Industry and Sector Data Interpretation
Across every sector, from the battlefield to the farm field to the server's station, a grimly predictable pattern emerges: the workplace, for women, is far too often a minefield of misconduct where the only consistent job requirement seems to be enduring it.
03 · Category
Perpetrator Characteristics25 stats
01
50% of perpetrators are supervisors
02
75% of harassers are men
03
31% of perpetrators are peers/co-workers
04
Senior executives commit 40% of incidents
05
20% of harassers are clients/customers
06
Men aged 35-54 commit 45% of cases
07
15% of female perpetrators in mixed-gender reports
08
Repeat offenders: 60% of total incidents
09
55% of male harassers have higher education
10
White men: 70% of reported perpetrators
11
25% of harassers are in HR/management roles
12
Alcohol-involved: 30% of perpetrator incidents
13
42% of perpetrators deny actions
14
Male supervisors: 3x more likely to harass
15
18% same-sex perpetrators for male victims
16
Harassers earning >$100k: 50%
17
35% of perpetrators have prior complaints
18
Younger male harassers (<30): 22%
19
28% of perpetrators are vendors/contractors
20
Serial harassers responsible for 80% of claims
21
65% male, 25% female, 10% non-binary identified
22
Harassers in sales: 38% overrepresentation
23
52% of harassers married
24
Blue-collar men: 30% of incidents despite 20% workforce
25
44% of perpetrators have leadership positions
Interpretation
Perpetrator Characteristics Interpretation
Power and permission are so deeply entwined in these numbers that it appears the primary prerequisite for harassment isn't a gender, but a position from which one feels insulated from consequence.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevalence and Incidence29 stats
01
81% of women and 43% of men have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime
02
25% of women have experienced sexual harassment at work
03
60% of women report experiencing unwanted sexual attention at work
04
38% of women and 14% of men have experienced sexual harassment at work according to a 2018 survey
05
1 in 3 women have been sexually harassed at work
06
40% of American women have experienced workplace sexual harassment
07
75% of workplace harassment incidents go unreported
08
27% of female federal employees experienced sexual harassment
09
50% of women in Hollywood reported sexual harassment
10
35% of women and 10% of men in tech report harassment
11
29% of women experienced verbal sexual harassment at work
12
57% of women in the UK have faced workplace harassment
13
46% of women and 17% of men faced harassment in Australia
14
69% of women in India reported workplace harassment
15
52% of US working women experienced harassment
16
33% of women aged 18-34 faced online sexual harassment at work
17
41% of women in healthcare report harassment
18
24% of all US workers experienced harassment
19
77% of women faced sexual harassment in professional settings
20
31% of female physicians reported harassment
21
59% of women in politics experienced harassment
22
65% of trans women faced workplace harassment
23
22% of men in blue-collar jobs report harassment
24
48% of women under 30 experienced harassment
25
36% of all employees witnessed harassment
26
90% of harassment is by someone senior
27
28% of women in finance reported harassment
28
44% of working mothers faced harassment
29
51% of women in sales roles experienced it
Interpretation
Prevalence and Incidence Interpretation
These staggering statistics reveal an epidemic of workplace sexual harassment that spans industries, genders, and nations, proving it is not an anomaly but a systemic failure demanding urgent, concrete action.
05 · Category
Victim Demographics27 stats
01
58% of women aged 25-35 report workplace sexual advances
02
Women aged 18-24 are 2.5 times more likely to experience harassment
03
72% of female victims are between 25-44 years old
04
Black women face 1.5 times higher rates than white women
05
40% of LGBTQ+ women report harassment vs 25% straight women
06
Single women experience 30% more harassment than married women
07
67% of female interns report harassment
08
Hispanic women report 35% incidence rate
09
Women with disabilities face 50% higher risk
10
55% of female managers experienced it
11
Asian women in tech: 45% rate
12
62% of young female professionals (under 30)
13
Native American women: 60% lifetime workplace harassment
14
Female veterans: 49% post-service harassment
15
38% of female college graduates in first job
16
Women in rural areas: 42% vs 36% urban
17
70% of female flight attendants under 30
18
Transgender employees: 47% female-identifying
19
53% of women with children under 18
20
Low-income women (<$30k): 65%
21
61% of female hourly workers
22
Immigrant women: 68% non-citizen rate
23
45% of women over 50 still report it
24
Female entrepreneurs: 39%
25
56% of bisexual women
26
Women in unions: 32% lower rate
27
64% of female temps/agency workers
Interpretation
Victim Demographics Interpretation
It's a depressing math problem where the 'common denominator' is being a woman at work, but the risk factor multiplies if you're also young, marginalized, or simply trying to earn a living.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Workplace Sexual Harassment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/workplace-sexual-harassment-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Workplace Sexual Harassment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/workplace-sexual-harassment-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Workplace Sexual Harassment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/workplace-sexual-harassment-statistics.
Sources & references
89 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level