Women Experience More Sexual Harassment as They Climb the Ladder

Women across the country rise through the ranks of the companies they work for, including many here in Long Beach. Their employers recognize them for their hard work, skills and diligence. At least some of those women believe that their days of becoming victims of sexual harassment may end at this point since they hold positions that reduce the number of people above them who may try to take advantage of their positions. However, new information indicates that may not be the case.

Once a women reaches middle management, her risk of being subjected to sexual harassment may actually rise. The theory is that the contact a woman has with people both below and above her puts her more at risk. The increase in this risk for women in supervisory positions is anywhere from 30% to 100%, according to a recent study.

The more men a woman supervises, the higher the percentage tends to be. The study questioned women in two different ways. When they were asked whether they were victims of sexual harassment, researchers often received one type of answer, which was generally in the negative. However, when they asked if certain individuals they worked with exhibited certain behaviors, women tended to answer in the affirmative more often.

Having the opportunity to rise through the ranks at a California company is often one of the reasons some Long Beach women take certain positions. When they accept promotions, they may feel as though their risk of being the victims of sexual harassment will no longer be an issue, but that does not appear to be the case. No one should feel as if they have to tolerate this type of behavior, and the law agrees. If a woman in a supervisory position believes she is being mistreated in this manner, she has the right to file a complaint.