Sexual harassment of men revealed

Gaby Hinsliff, political editor
The Observer
Jun. 25, 2006

A hidden world of sexual harassment, with female managers exploiting their power over men in the office, has been unveiled by a new government survey.

Despite the common stereotype of the male executive putting pressure on his secretary, two in five victims of sexual harassment are men, the study found.

A quarter of the men questioned in the Department of Trade and Industry survey reported being pestered by a client whom they also felt obliged to please.

According to the Equal Opportunities Commission, 8 per cent of calls to its sexual harassment helpline are from men, even though research shows male victims are less likely than women to complain. It insists that male complaints should be taken just as seriously. 'It affects both women and men, causing stress, health problems and financial penalties when they leave their jobs to avoid it,' said Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC.

Legally, sexual harassment is defined not just as lecherous behaviour such as groping, but as any form of denigration of workers because of their sex. Male victims were more likely than women to complain of the second kind of harassment - where a female manager treats women more favourably then men or criticises male employees more regularly.

The survey concluded that while the vast majority of Britons do not suffer discrimination, a 'sizeable minority' had suffered: 0.7 per cent of men and 1.1 per cent of women said they had been sexually harassed within the last two years.

The government is giving Ł1m to a 'dignity at work' project led by the trade union Amicus.

The survey found that 6.9 per cent considered they had been unfairly treated at work for some reason - including some on grounds not currently recognised in law, such as their social class.

More workers complained about discrimination on the grounds of their accent or the way they spoke than because of race, gender, pregnancy or religion - all potential areas of discrimination banned by law, unlike accents.

Last week, Adrian Chiles - the first host of a BBC TV prime time programme with a distinct Birmingham accent - said he believed that 'people assume you're thick' when they hear that accent.