Sexual Harassment Statistics about sexual harassment, including prevalence, characteristics of victims, and intersections with other types of violence and abuse

Diversity Australia Blog

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This research is presented by the Australian Burea of Statistics.

This article is the second in a new series exploring the nature and prevalence of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment in Australia. The first article, Sexual Violence – Victimisation, focused on the experiences of sexual assault and sexual abuse victims. The third and final article in the series, Sexual Assault – Perpetrators, will examine the characteristics of sexual assault perpetrators and their criminal justice outcomes.

This article focuses on the prevalence and characteristics of sexual harassment. It draws on data collected in the 2016 Personal Safety Survey (PSS). The PSS is a household survey that collects information from men and women aged 18 years and over about the nature and extent of violence experienced. Prevalence data from the 2016 survey are also compared with results from the 2012 survey to examine changes over time.

Key statistics

53% of women and 25% of men have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime.
The prevalence of sexual harassment increased between 2012 and 2016 for both men and women.
Those who had experienced sexual harassment in their life were more likely to have also experienced sexual assault since the age of 15, compared with those who had not experienced sexual harassment.Lower life satisfaction, financial stress, and cash flow problems were all associated with higher rates of sexual harassment.

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About The Author

Steven Asnicar

Steven leads the Diversity Australia Consulting business in Australia and New Zealand and is an active Leader in the Asia Pacific region. With a senior executive career spanning 25 years in corporate as a Director and Chief Executive, consulting and executive search specialist, Steven founded and led a successful specialist leadership development and assessment firm in Asia Pacific for 18 years prior to founding Diversity Australia.

Steven is a highly experienced Executive and Coach, working with Boards, individuals and teams at the C-Suite level. He also advises clients on leadership development, succession planning and executive assessment. As an innate entrepreneur, Steven brings an innovative, data informed approach to co-create impactful yet pragmatic client solutions.

Steven earned a Masters of International Business specialising in Human Capital Management through Bond University, a Graduate Certificate of Corporate Management through Deakin and a Bachelor of Business through UQ. He is a is a graduate of the Global Institute of Directors, a qualified RABQSA Auditor, and is a thought leader on executive diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 26,000 followers on his LinkedIn profile: https://au.linkedin.com/in/steven-asnicar.

View our key team of consultants and trainers at: https://www.diversityaustralia.com.au/our-team.

About Diversity Australia: Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

BUILDING HIGH-PERFORMING, INCLUSIVE CULTURES: Our passion lies in developing strategies that promote cultures of inclusion and diversity. We help organisations foster a high-performing, equitable workforce that sets a new global standard for DE&I.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.

About Diversity Australia:
Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

● Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
● Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
● Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
● Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
● Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.