Man-to-Man Sexual Harassment At Work Place Is On The Rise

Women usually complain of harassment at work place and it continues to be on the rise but now the issue is, men are also being sexually targeted at the workplace. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) reviewed 282 complaints lodged over six months.

The study found 78 percent of cases were men harassing female colleagues. Professor Paula McDonald from QUT said 11 percent of the complaints were from men against other men.

"The male-on-male harassment complaints often included conduct such as homosexual slurs, which questioned the man's sexuality. There was a very strong homophobic tone that went through the male-on-male complaints," said Paula.

There were taunts about apparently unmasculine conduct and appearance and insinuations that they were gay.

Professor McDonald said managers in all workplaces needed to be aware of the risk of sexual harassment and put measures in place to stop it.


Nearly 6% of cases were women being harassed by other women, mostly their bosses, the study said.

Professor McDonald said figures about less typical cases of sexual harassment were useful in understanding how to stop it.

"We can't be complacent about sexual harassment as an ongoing problem. It continues to manifest in a lot of different types of organizations, not only male-dominated one, which is often assumed," she said.

Source-IANS