...
By Jasmine Laws
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Georgia had the highest number of reported sexual harassment cases last year, new data shows.
A study conducted by the sexual harassment lawyers J&Y Law of data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) revealed that the Peach State had the most sexual harassment cases per capita, at 36, in 2023. The EEOC defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
Mississippi and Arkansas were the states with the second highest number of sexual harassment cases, each with 30 per capita.
Read More on News
Aside from a high number of cases per capita in Nevada, the above map shows a concentration of cases in the South, with very few in the West and Northeast.
The states with the lowest number of sexual harassment cases were Idaho, Maine, and New Hampshire, each with two cases per capita in 2023.
Grace A. Starling, an associate attorney at the Georgia-based law firm Radford Scott LLP, told Newsweek that the data showed "the urgent need for stronger workplace protections" in Georgia.
Georgia is one of the only states that has not passed legislation making workplace sexual harassment illegal, Starling said, which "leaves many employees, especially those who work for businesses with fewer than 15 employees, vulnerable due to gaps in federal protections."
Sexual harassment was only defined in the Georgia code for the first time in 2022 with House Bill 1380, but the bill "does not create a cause of action for the harassment itself," Starling said.
She added that between 2022 and 2024, there have been a number of attempts to get legislation in place for sexual harassment in the workplace within the state, but none have had success.
"Various chambers of commerce lobby against bills that would expand workers' rights in Georgia, including those bills that would create a cause of action for workplace harassment, and often cite increased liability for businesses and the potential economic impact," she said.
"This is short-sighted, as workplace anti-harassment laws not only protect employees but also foster more productive and equitable workplaces and a healthier and happier workforce, reduce unchecked misconduct, and improve the overall reputation and economic sustainability of businesses in the long term," Starling added.
Newsweek emailed the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for comment outside of normal working hours.
The attorney said that having appropriate legislation in place, alongside education and training on the issue, "is vital to reducing the alarming rate of harassment cases, incentivizing healthy business practices, and empowering employees across the state."
While nationwide cases of sexual harassment in the workplace have appeared to trend downwards in recent years after a peak in 2019, according to EEOC data, the commission noted in a report that "workplace harassment often goes unreported."
Although, in the health sector, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than double the number of health workers reported harassment at work in 2022 than in 2018.
The EEOC found that between 2018 and 2021, women continued to file the most sexual harassment charges, where 78.2 percent of the 27,291 sexual harassment charges received in the time period came from women.
Across the U.S., 81 percent of women and 43 percent of men have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Workplace harassment has been found to take a massive toll on employee mental wellbeing, with one Sweden-based study published in The BMJ finding that it was associated with suicidal behavior.
Outside of the workplace, data from World Population Review showed that Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada and Alaska were the states with the highest rates of violence against women.
Louisiana was deemed most dangerous state for women in relation to male on female homicide and had one of the highest rates of men murdering women nearly every year for 25 years, according to data from the Violence Policy Center.
Correction 12/6/24, 03:10 a.m. ET: This story has been corrected to say that Georgia is one of the only states that has not passed legislation making workplace sexual harassment illegal, not the only state.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines