Why are so many women being sexually harassed at work?
As shocking statistics reveal half of all women have faced abuse in the workplace, Closer investigates this worrying trend and speaks to one woman about her terrifying ordeal
veryone should E feel safe at work, but a new study has revealed that a growing number of women are being subjected to sexual harassment by their bosses and colleagues.
A recent study by the Everyday Sexism Project and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has found that half of women of all ages in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, and nearly two thirds of women aged 18-24 have been victims.
The type of abuse ranged from unwelcome sexual jokes and comments to unwanted sexual touching of their breasts, buttocks or genitals, or attempts to kiss them at work.
After the study was published female victims of sexual harassment took to Twitter to reveal their experiences.
One woman said: “Being a female in the security industry means I’m always getting groped and propositioned by customers.”
TAKING ADVANTAGE
In the last few years there have been several high-profile cases. Shreya Ukil, 40, won a discrimination case against an IT firm in May this year after she was pressured into sleeping with her boss.
And in September 2011 a telesales worker who was sexually harassed by her manager won a £290,000 payout from BT. Petrina Taylor, 36, had to endure boss Craig Alcock “thrusting himself” at her and was warned that if she failed to land a deal he’d perform a sex act over her.
So why is sexual harassment in the workplace so common? Frances O’grady, the TUC’S general secretary, says: “Young women are often at the bottom of the pecking order and worry about how it will affect their careers if they speak out. Some men in a position of authority may take advantage of the power they wield and this could affect women of all ages.
“We want employers to ensure there’s a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and training given so senior staff feel confident handling cases of abuse.”
SCARED TO SPEAK OUT
Faye Blenkinsopp, 37, knows exactly how it feels to be subjected to unwanted attention at work. The property manager was left fearing for her life after being subjected to sexual taunts, verbal abuse and relentless texts and calls from her infatuated estate agency boss, John Passmore.
Faye, who began working for Passmore in 2009, says: “He harassed me relentlessly; I was terrified for my safety. He’d tell me about his sick sexual fantasies and how he’d perform sex acts while looking at photos of me.
“Sadly, I’m not surprised that more than half of female workers say they’ve been victims of sexual harassment – it happens more often than people think. Like me, women are often too scared to report it for fear of not being believed, or of losing their jobs. I didn’t report it initially because I didn’t think I’d be taken seriously – it’s vital women feel able to speak out.”
Faye says: “Right from the start my boss made inappropriate comments about my clothes and told me about his sex life. At one work night
out, I ended up in a taxi home with him, where he put his face in my lap. I felt sick. I brushed him off, politely but firmly, and decided to stay out of his way. I didn’t consider calling the police, I didn’t think they’d take me seriously. I emailed Passmore and made it clear that I wanted him to leave me alone, but he ignored me. Friends and family wanted to confront him, but I was scared what might happen.”
When Faye’s seven-year relationship broke down in January 2012, the harassment escalated. Faye says: “John confessed he was obsessed with me. He’d text and call me up to 30 times a night, on numerous occasions begging me to sleep with him or angrily telling me this was all my fault.
“If I didn’t answer, he’d have my work mobile cut off so I wouldn’t be able to do my job. He followed me around and asked me what I’d been doing,
where I’d been and who I’d been with. I begged him to stop and desperately wanted to quit but I needed my salary – and I’d rented my flat through the company so it’d mean losing my home too.
“I tried to remind him he was married with a young daughter, but he just laughed it off, and there was no one else to report his behaviour to. I kept telling myself I could handle it but, deep down, I was terrified, especially when I came home from work one day to find flowers inside my flat. John had let himself in using the agency set of keys. I changed the locks, but nothing could make me feel safe.
“It was only when he smashed up the office in a fit of anger in August 2012 and told me he was going to kill himself if I wouldn’t be with him that I finally realised his behaviour was out of control. I couldn’t work there any more, and I had to report him. Thankfully, the police were incredible and, to my relief, arrested him straight away.”
JUSTICE AT LAST
In October 2013 Passmore appeared at Manchester Crown Court and pleaded guilty to harassment. He received
a 10-week jail sentence, suspended for a year, with 120 hours unpaid work, and a three-year restraining order.
Faye – who now lives with her boyfriend of two years in Manchester – says: “I wanted him to go to prison but, thankfully, I haven’t seen him since. I’m speaking out so that women going through sexual harassment know they should report it. At the time I was afraid to go out alone but I’m much stronger now. I just wish I’d gone to police sooner.”