One of the greatest perceived benefits for women in leadership positions is that no one can sexually (or otherwise) harass them anymore. As a leader, you are now in a place where you can control your treatment in the workplace — or so you may believe.
If you are female and believe the statements above are correct, you are likely ill-prepared for what might happen now that you lead others at work. A recent study has revealed that women managers and supervisors may suffer more sexual harassment than lower-echelon female workers.
More about the study
Researchers studied female employees (leaders and regular workers) in three countries to arrive at their conclusions. In the U.S., women workers responded to several questions designed to measure how much sexual harassment they have endured. Their answers indicate female leaders experience a substantially higher level of harassment than women in other positions.
Researchers also asked the women one other question: Have you been sexually harassed at work in the past 12 months? Interestingly, these self-evaluations show that women might not recognize all forms of sexual harassment. The answers they supplied resulted in significantly lower percentages of such harassment.
According to researchers, when female workplace leaders in America spoke out about harassment or took some form of action, they faced retaliatory actions in their workplace. For example, women that raised the sexual harassment alarm were often denied promotions and training opportunities after speaking out.
Cleveland, Ohio, is home to many female occupational leaders across a wide range of industries. All women should learn more about workplace sexual harassment. If you are subjected to sexual harassment, take steps to remedy the unfavorable work situation.