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" A new study has shed light on just how bloody awful it still is to be a woman at work.\u00A0 Trades Unions Congress teamed up with the Everyday Sexism Project and YouGov to carry out a huge study on sexual harassment in the workplace - and exposed just how bad\u00A0the extent of sexual harassment in offices really is.\u00A0 Researchers surveyed 1,533 people about harassment in the workplace and found that 52% of women said they had experienced sexual harassment at work.\u00A0 Which is a deeply concerning statistic. But what&amp;#039;s even more worrying is that this number jumps when it comes to young women. Of the women surveyed who are aged 18 to 24 years old, 63% had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.\u00A0  And experiences of sexual harassment\u00A0have lasting effects. Researchers found that outcomes ranged from women feeling embarrassed and less confident in their work to victims leaving their jobs. Many of the women surveyed noted an effect on their mental health, as well as their performance at work.\u00A0 The types of sexual harassment experienced vary, but the researchers want it to be clear that all types, whether intended in a lighthearted way or not, are unacceptable. We shouldn&amp;#039;t have to deal with this.\u00A0 32% of women have had to put up with unwelcome sexual jokes. 28% have been the subject of sexual comments about their body or clothes. 23% have experienced unwanted touching. This isn&amp;#039;t okay.\u00A0 But despite the evidence that so, so many of us are facing entirely inappropriate sexual behaviour when we&amp;#039;re trying to get on with our work, sexual harassment in the workplace is still a topic that&amp;#039;s rarely discussed. And that needs to change, because the more we talk about it, the less people will be able to pretend their behaviour is okay.\u00A0  Of the women who experienced sexual harassment, 79% did not inform their boss about what happened, explaining that they were worried sharing their experience would have an impact on their career, or that they wouldn&amp;#039;t be believed.\u00A0 &amp;quot;Time and time again we hear that sexual harassment is just a bit of banter,&amp;quot; wrote TUC General Secretary Frances O&amp;#039;Grady in a blog post for the Huffington Post. &amp;quot;But the women who shared their stories with us show that that&amp;#039;s just not true. &amp;quot;This isn&amp;#039;t about women being able to take a joke or not. Sexual harassment is undermining and humiliating and victims are often left feeling ashamed and frightened.&amp;quot; So we know there&amp;#039;s a problem. What do we do?\u00A0 Frances recommends that every woman joins a union to protect her rights.\u00A0 But she adds that the responsibility to change things lies with the government and\u00A0employers, not those who&amp;#039;ve experienced sexual harassment.\u00A0 &amp;quot;Employers need to protect their staff from sexual harassment,&amp;quot; says Frances.\u00A0&amp;quot;They must have sufficient training and robust policies in place to protect their workforce.&amp;quot;\u00A0 Follow Ellen on Twitter.\u00A0 Like this? Come and check us out on Snapchat Discover.\u00A0 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/reports/news/a45246/half-of-women-sexually-harassed-at-work-sexual-harassment-study/>