Study Finds Teens are Likely to be Sexually Harassed at Work
It can be a relief for New Jersey parents when their teenagers get their first jobs. It can be nice for teenagers to go out and earn a bit of their own spending money as well as gain real life work experience. Parents of working teens may worry, however, after hearing the results of a new study.
New research has shown that teenagers are more likely than adults to be sexually harassed at work. While the study involved interviews with only 116 working high school students, researchers found that 54 percent of the females had experienced sexual harassment at work. Thirty-seven percent of males said they had been harassed at work.
The researchers thought that teenagers may be more likely than adults to be harassed in the workplace because they are in low-status, low-power positions. Additionally, they may be unaware of their rights under employment laws and they may not be comfortable reporting the harassment due to the age difference between themselves and the harassers.
The types of harassment that the teens experienced included lewd behavior, sexist comments, unwanted sexual attention and even sexual coercion.
The study’s authors believe that not only does being the target of sexual harassment affect one’s workday, but when it comes to teenagers–especially girls–it impacts skill development, schoolwork, grades and career outlooks.
To prevent such impacts, the researchers say that teenagers should report the harassment instead of deal with it alone.
It is also important that teenagers, and adults too, are aware that sexual harassment is not only uncomfortable and unfortunate, but it is also illegal. Employers can often be held accountable for sexual harassment and this can be an important step both to obtain damages for the victim and to spur a positive change in the workplace.
Source: Yahoo! News, “Teens More Likely to Face Sexual Harassment on the Job,” Chad Brooks, Dec. 26, 2012
- To learn more about state and federal sexual harassment laws, please take a look at our New Jersey law firm’s Sexual Harassment page.