Every other female scientist in the world has been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace during her career, according to the results of an international survey by Ipsos for the L'Oreal Foundation.
According to a survey of about 5.000 male and female scientists in 117 countries, 49 percent of female scientists said they had "personally faced at least one situation of sexual harassment during their career." Almost half of those harassments were after the emergence of the "Me Me" (MeToo) movement in 2017.
For 65 percent of those women, such situations had a negative impact on their careers.
However, only every fifth victim reported it to the employer, according to the survey, which surveyed women in the field of science, technology and engineering, within 50 public and private institutions.
Several situations are described. In 25 percent of cases, men addressed them "inappropriately and repeatedly" with nicknames - doll, baby, kitty, girl, or insults. In 24 percent of cases there were intrusive and repeated questions about private and sexual life.
Most of the abuses were at the beginning of their careers, and the consequence was a negative impact on their scientific careers.
About 52 percent of victims said they "avoid certain staff members," and 25 percent said they felt "at risk in their workplace."
About 64 percent of the surveyed scientists (women and men) complained about the lack of activity in the fight against sexual harassment at work.
The L'Oreal Foundation called on institutions to "take responsibility and change behavior". She advocates a "zero tolerance policy" and financial measures.
The study was conducted by the Ipsos institute using the survey method from July 26 to September 16, 2022.
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