Sexual harassment 'pervasive' in Australia's retail sector

A new report has revealed how "pervasive" sexual harassment is in the retail industry and called for sector-wide responses to curb such cases.

Up to 48% of female and 25% of male retail employees have experienced sexual harassment in the past five years, according to the report from Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work.

The report, which was published by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS), drew its findings from four existing surveys, 15 interviews with industry insiders, as well as 12 focus groups with 56 retail workers and managers.

It found that retail workers experience sexual harassment from a range of perpetrators, including managers, colleagues, and customers.

Young women under the age of 25 are highly targeted and are highly subjected to multiple forms of sexual harassment, according to the report.

The most common forms of sexual harassment reported by the respondents include:

• Sexually suggested comments and jokes (62%)
• Intrusive questions about private life or physical appearance (45%)
• Staring or leering (41%)
• Sexually explicit pictures and gifts (9%)
• Actual or attempted rape or sexual assault (6%)

'Pervasive' problem

Rae Cooper, director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, said their findings show that sexual harassment in the retail sector is "pervasive."

"These are not isolated incidents, this is happening every day across this large industry, and young people – especially young women – are copping the brunt of it," Cooper said in a statement. "Sexual harassment doesn't just come from customers – peers and managers are often perpetrators. It is pervasive."

The retail industry is a key employer across Australia, employing nine per cent of all Australians, according to the report. It is also the second-largest employer of Australian women and is the second-largest employer of young workers.

"The retail industry is a key national employer of young people, and these workplaces have a duty of care to protect their inexperienced workers who are often working their first job," Cooper said.

Tessa Boyd-Caine, CEO of ANROWS, added that sexual harassment needs to be "understood clearly and taken seriously."

"There will be no one-size-fits-all solution to tackle this widespread problem, but as it stands, employers lack the necessary tools to action their responsibilities to keep their staff safe and free from sexual harassment," said Boyd-Caine in a statement. "Enhanced reporting processes are imperative to ensure victim-survivors feel safe and empowered to come forward."

Retail industry's response

Paul Zahra, CEO of the Australian Retailers Association, said the report provides a strong foundation for ways the industry can better combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

"Now it's up to the retail sector to take this report, build on it, and create an environment where our staff don't have to come to work in fear of sexual harassment and violence," Zahra said in a statement.

"This will include strategies informed by data, tailoring education for employees, and upskilling and empowering supervisors and managers to respond to sexual harassment in the workplace."