EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Workplace sexual harassment: A national study to inform new prevention and early intervention strategies
Background
There is increasing recognition across Australia of the prevalence and impacts of workplace sexual harassment. Despite this recognition, responses remain inadequate. The Australian Human Rights Commission (2018, p. 34) highlights that current approaches "have failed to prevent and reduce workplace sexual harassment". Encouragingly, workplaces want guidance on how to best address this issue, providing an opportunity to apply the principles of primary prevention to support the eradication of sexual harassment in workplace settings. In this project we centre victim and survivor insights and lived experience expertise to better understand the perpetration of workplace sexual harassment and to inform strategies and responses that can be implemented by workplaces.
Aim
This project has four key aims:
1. To examine opportunities to better identify, prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment across industry groups and priority populations.
2. To create a robust evidence base on victims' and survivors’ views on opportunities for early intervention and improved responses to workplace sexual harassment.
3. To examine the degree to which workplace culture presents as a barrier to early intervention and response, including the capacity of bystanders.
4. To generate new insights and workplace-focused recommendations to support improved policy and practice.
Methods
Recognising the critical gap in current knowledge, this project will survey 2,000 Australians, including victims and survivors and bystanders, to complete a large-scale national study examining the prevention of, and early interventions for, workplace sexual harassment.
Using a large-scale survey comprising both quantitative and qualitative components, this project will enhance current understandings of workplace sexual harassment with a key focus on enhancing early intervention, prevention and response strategies.
Project findings will be relevant to all Australian state and territory jurisdictions.