Males and Reporting Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can happen to anyone at any time regardless of age, orientation, or gender. While males do experience the same feelings as other victims of sexual harassment, they may also experience additional challenges due to stereotypes surrounding men and masculinity.
What is sexual harassment?
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature in the workplace or learning environment. (RAINN) Sexual harassment can take many forms. It may be physical, such as unwelcome touching and caressing. It could also be emotional, including retaliation for refusing sexual advances, and being subjected to offensive comments and jokes. It’s crucial to remember that men and women both face sexual harassment, however, men consistently report these instances less than women.
How many men report sexual harassment?
While the vast majority of sexual harassment reports are filed by women, there has been an increase in men filing claims as well. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, shows that 16.8 men reported sexual harassment, with the remain 83.2 % being women. This tells us that the men who reported sexual harassment represent only a portion of victims.
Why is male sexual harassment so underreported?
Many of the reasons men do not report can be attributed to the social stigma that men must conform to traditional masculinity ideology or toxic masculinity. This doesn’t mean that men are “toxic,” but actually refers to the way in which boys are taught that they can’t express emotion openly; that they have to be “tough all the time”; that anything other than that makes them “feminine” or weak.” (NYT).
Because of this stigma, men may believe that they cannot truly be sexually harassed. They may also feel shame and embarrassment from being harassed and fear judgment from their peers for not handling it on their own. Additionally, men that experience sexual harassment may feel that this implicates their own sexual orientation, and therefore may not speak up.
Toxic masculinity teaches men to suppress their emotions or distress, resulting in less acknowledging and reporting of sexual harassment.
Why should males report sexual harassment?
The more men that report sexual harassment, the more that can be done to prevent and treat this issue. Sexual harassment of any kind hinders our ability to function and feel safe and can have a negative emotional effect. Men must be included and represented in conversations surrounding sexual harassment in order to raise awareness and work towards a more equal, respectful future.
If you or a loved one have experienced unwanted sexual advances and still feel the effects of the incident, Respark can help. Contact us today to book an appointment or read more about or male-focused services here.