Half of Women in New Hampshire Have Experienced Sexual Harassment at Work

In this brief, authors Kristin Smith, Sharyn Potter, and Jane Stapleton discuss the results of a 2018 Granite State Poll survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire on workplace sexual harassment in New Hampshire. They report that over half of women and nearly one-quarter of men in New Hampshire have been victims of sexual harassment at their workplaces during their lifetimes. Women are more likely to state they suffered work-related consequences (for example, financial loss, being fired or demoted) than men, but similar shares reported quitting their jobs as a result of the harassment. Sexual harassment is problematic for the workplace, as it reduces worker morale and job satisfaction, diminishes productivity, and increases absenteeism and worker withdrawal. The authors suggest that employers would do well to invest in prevention, such as bystander intervention training, and encourage victims’ use of supports to mitigate the negative effects of workplace sexual harassment