RESEARCH REPORT #SpeakingOut@Work: Sexual harassment of LGBTQ young people in the workplace and workplace training
This national study makes a significant contribution to addressing the gaps in understanding of LGBTQ young people’s experiences with and responses to sexual harassment in the workplace.
This report, commissioned under ANROWS’s Sexual Harassment Research Program (SHRP), offers crucial insights into the workplace sexual harassment experienced by LGBTQ young people and is critical for informing workplace policy and practice specific to LGBTQ young people.
The study featured:
- a national online survey with 1,001 LGBTQ young people aged 14–30
- individual in-depth interviews with 40 survey participants
- a photo exercise where 8 participants shared images representing their experiences of workplace sexual harassment
- an intersectional approach exploring how multiple social inequalities intersect in experiences of workplace sexual harassment.
Key findings
Key findingsThe findings highlight the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace experiences of LGBTQ people:
- 77% of LGBTQ young people surveyed had experienced workplace sexual harassment, often directly connected to their LGBTQ identities.
- Most perpetrators were men who acted alone.
- Some LGBTQ young people experienced behaviours they felt were inappropriate, unwelcome and targeted them based on their sex, gender or sexuality yet were often unsure if their experiences counted as sexual harassment.
- Most LGBTQ young people chose not to make a formal report and often chose instead to leave their jobs.
- Culturally unsafe and non-inclusive workplaces where transphobia, homophobia and biphobia thrive foster workplace sexual harassment.
- LGBTQ young people often reported receiving minimal or no training on workplace sexual harassment.
KEY PRACTICE AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
KEY PRACTICE AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONSRecommendations for government
- Invest in a national public anti-sexual harassment campaign that targets the workplace, education, health and sports.
- Improve employers’ and employees’ literacy on workplace sexual harassment, that includes training on the experiences and needs of LGBTQ young people.
Recommendations for business owners and workplace managers
- Ensure workplace safety and inclusion of LGBTQ young employees, including the review and evaluation of sexual harassment policies, reporting procedures and training, with a focus on the inclusion of addressing LGBTQ employees’ experiences and needs.
Recommendations for education sectors –
Schools, universities, professional training institutions
- Review and address gaps in sexual harassment policies, reporting procedures and training across all school and post-school education sectors.
- Include anti-sexual harassment education through the Respectful Relationships Education in Schools (RREiS) program from primary through to secondary schools.
Publication details
This work is part of the 2021–2024 ANROWS Sexual Harassment Research Program. ANROWS research reports are in-depth reports on empirical research produced under ANROWS’s research program.
Authors
PROFESSOR KERRY H. ROBINSON
Principal Chief Investigator, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
DR KIMBERLEY ALLISON
Research Officer, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
DR EMMA F. JACKSON
Research Officer, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
DR CRISTYN DAVIES
Chief Investigator, Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine
and Health, The University of Sydney; Adjunct, School of Social Sciences, Western
Sydney University
DR ERIKA K. SMITH
Research Officer, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
DR ALEX HAWKEY
Chief Investigator, Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Western Sydney University
PROFESSOR JANE USSHER
Chief Investigator, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JACQUELINE ULLMAN
Chief Investigator, School of Education, Western Sydney University
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR BRAHMAPUTRA MARJADI
Chief Investigator, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University
DR PAUL BYRON
Chief Investigator, Digital & Social Media, University of Technology Sydney
ISBN: 978-1-922645-95-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-922645-94-4 (PDF)
296 pp.
Suggested citation
Robinson, K. H., Allison, K., Jackson, E. F., Davies, C., Smith, E. K., Hawkey, A., Ussher, J., Ullman, J., Marjadi, B., & Byron, P. (2024). #SpeakingOut@Work: Sexual harassment of LGBTQ young people in the workplace and workplace training (Research report, 10/2024). ANROWS.