Over a third of women in the aviation sector have suffered work-related sexual assault, a new survey has found.
The landmark study conducted by Unite the union polled its 30,000 female members in the aviation sector on whether they had experienced sexual harassment while at work, travelling to work, or from a colleague, either in or out of work hours.
The results revealed that 34 per cent of women cabin crew, front-of-desk staff and baggage handlers have been sexually assaulted at work.
In addition, 11 per cent of women polled said they had been a victim of sexual coercion in the workplace – when a person pressures, tricks, threatens, or manipulates someone into engaging in sexual activity without genuine consent.
The survey, which forms part of Unite’s Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment campaign, found that 67 per cent had experienced unwanted flirting, gesturing or sexual remarks, 65 per cent had been the recipient of sexually offensive jokes, 55 per cent had been inappropriately touched and over four in 10 (40 per cent) had been shared or shown pornographic images by a manager, colleague or third party such as a passenger.
Of those who reported being sexual harassed at work, the majority said it was not a one-off occasion, with almost half (47 per cent) experiencing it more than twice, while a third (34 per cent) experienced it more than once.
Many respondents said they didn't report harassment they had experienced or witnessed as they worried they wouldn't be believed or it would put their job at risk, while others felt it was not taken seriously when they did raise it.
Over three quarters (76 per cent) said the issue was not addressed or tackled by management.
“I experienced sexual harassment from passengers and management never do anything about it,” said one woman.
“They say passengers come and go and there is a small chance you will see them again.”
Another said: “Management laughed off my experience where a crew member with a known history of sexual assault touched me inappropriately. They protected him, not me.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Staff safety should be among the highest priorities for employers in the civil air transport industry but the results of our survey are damning and show women workers are being failed by bosses.
“Nobody should suffer sexual harassment in the workplace. Unite is committed to taking a zero-tolerance approach and we will put every employer turning a blind eye on notice.
“We will fight every step of the way to stamp out workplace harassment once and for all. Every worker deserves a safe working environment and should feel able to report harassment.”
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