Up to 85% of women report that they have been sexually harassed at work, according to a 2016 report by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What happens next is often not captured in numbers, but in the fine-print details of recent media reports. Whether the industry is media, entertainment, politics, technology, or something else, these women say things like: “I quit.” Or, “I left that place.” Or “maybe I shouldn’t be in [this industry]”. Some women scaled back on their ambitions, while others left companies or their chosen industry altogether.
The Insidious Economic Impact of Sexual Harassment
How much does predatory behavior hurt the economy?
November 29, 2017
Summary.
Up to 85% of women report that they have been sexually harassed at work, and 80% of them leave their firms within two years. Many even change industries. We know this imposes an economic cost on them, but what’s the larger cost to all of us? As talented women are pushed into starting over again, industries lose their ideas and expertise. And ideas are what drives today’s economy. The Economist has said that “new ideas are getting hard to find.” But what if actually, we’re just limiting who gets to have ideas? Systemic sexual harassment mean that women and their ideas are disproportionately chased away. That’s not something that companies — or countries — can afford.