Statistics

Introduction

Within the last decade, more women have entered the work force. As their numbers surge, their vulnerability to harassment has also increased. Often reported in the media are criminal acts of rape, assault and molestation, while the ‘less severe’ forms of harassment like verbal abuse, repeated lewd emails or smses, physical touching, or unwelcome comments on behaviour or dress are given free rein because they do not qualify as criminal acts.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), sexual harassment is a clear form of gender discrimination based on sex, a manifestation of unequal power relations between men and women. In addition, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has also noted the seriousness of this issue, and urged for “measures to protect women from sexual harassment and other forms of violence or coercion in the workplace.”

The issue of workplace sexual harassment in Singapore remains for the most part a “hidden” problem.

In 2008, AWARE conducted a survey to address this issue. Read that 2008 report here. The study on 500 respondents and 92 companies reported these findings:

• 54% (272) had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment.
• 27% of the 272 respondents experienced harassment by their colleague, while 17% were harassed by their superior.
• 79% of the victims are women; 21% were men.
• 12% had received threats of termination if they did no comply with the requests of the sexual harassers.
• Both women and men are more likely to have been harassed by the opposite sex, although some have also experienced harassment from the same sex. In AWARE’s survey, 79% of the respondents who reported having experienced workplace sexual harassment were female; 21% were male.
• Sexual harassment occurs across the board. Most of the harassment is experienced at executive levels, followed by administrative staff. While reports of victimization are fewer, there are incidents of sexual harassment at management and senior management positions.
• 66.6% (333) were not aware of any policies, while 50.4% indicated that they were aware of a department or resource person they could approach on sexual harassment.

In 2021, an AWARE-Ipsos survey found that 2 in 5 workers in Singapore had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment in the preceding five years.

A subsequent 2021 qualitative research report, entitled “I Quit”, found that the career and financial repercussions of workplace sexual harassment include job loss, low productivity, time out of work and loss of income for its victims. Although Singapore has issued best practice guidelines for employers to address workplace harassment, not all companies have implemented them.