Background
Research indicates that gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, can have profound and distressing effects, leading to feelings of shame, humiliation, and powerlessness. Women, in particular, are more likely to experience sexual harassment, which correlates with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Beyond the individual, these negative impacts can extend to organizational culture, causing vicarious trauma. If left unaddressed, gender-based violence can result in decreased morale, reduced job satisfaction, and increased turnover, exacerbating mental health issues among workers.
More strategically, workplace gendered violence reinforces sexist stereotypes, limits the careers of women[i] drives environments that encourage gender segregated workforces[ii]. and as such can contribute to skills shortages.[iii] [iv]
WorkSafe has identified Education and Training as a high risk industry area[v] for workplace gendered violence including sexual harassment.
Recent workplace audit data from the 2021 Victorian Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector (CGEPS) reveals that 4% of women and 3% of men in TAFE and other education workplaces reported experiencing sexual harassment.
The 4th National Survey on Sexual Harassment reported that “close to half of all sexual harassment perpetrated in the workplace in the last five years occurred within four industry groups: health care and social assistance, retail trade, education and training and accommodation and food services”[vi]. According to the 5th National Survey on sexual harassment in Australian Workplaces[vii], the education and training sector accounts for almost half of all reported incidents across Australia. Despite representing only 8% of the workforce, the sector contributes to 9% of the incidents surveyed. Notably, the education sector reports an equal distribution of harassment incidents from both men and women.
Studies emphasize that learning environments in Registered Training Organizations (RTOs), both in classrooms and on the job, normalize gender inequality and perpetuate harmful behaviors leading to gender harassment.[viii] [ix] [x]This harmful environment creates significant barriers, particularly in male-dominated learning pathways and industries, hindering the participation of women and gender-diverse individuals in ongoing learning. Consequently, this perpetuates gender segregation in the labor market.
There is a consistent and explicit concern about the prevalence of sexual harassment and gender-based violence against female apprentices in male-dominated training programs, such as construction and plumbing, especially during on-the-job learning.[xi] [xii] [xiii] [xiv] [xv]Studies of the Australian adult education environment reveal that women's experiences of sexualized behavior in the classroom are often not framed as harassment[xvi]. Furthermore, evidence indicates that inappropriate behaviors are not solely perpetrated by classmates but also by educators who make sexualized comments or implicitly or explicitly permit poor behaviors in the learning environment.[xvii] [xviii] [xix]
One of the root causes of sexual harassment and workplace gender-based violence is the promotion of gender stereotypes that foster inequity and create conditions enabling such violence. Industry practices, supported by evidence, demonstrate that the vocational system's structure perpetuates and reinforces gender stereotypes, contributing to an increased risk of sexual harassment.
References
[i] American Association of University Women (AAUW) Limiting our Livelihoods: The cumulative impact of sexual harassment women’s careers November 2019 https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/limiting-our-livelihoods/
[ii] McLaughlin H, Uggen C, Blackstone A. THE ECONOMIC AND CAREER EFFECTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON WORKING WOMEN. Gend Soc. 2017 Jun;31(3):333-358. doi: 10.1177/0891243217704631. Epub 2017 May 10. PMID: 29056822; PMCID: PMC5644356.
[iii] The Hon. Brendan O’Connor MP Minister for Skills and Training Media Release Gender imbalance in workforce contributing to skills shortages 6 March 2023 https://ministers.dewr.gov.au/oconnor/gender-imbalance-workforce-contributing-skills-shortages#:~:text=Analysis%20from%20Jobs%20and%20Skills,cent%20of%20their%20total%20workforce.
[iv] Jobs and Skills Australia News Item Is gender inequality impacting fill rates? November 29 2023 https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/news/gender-inequality-impacting-fill-rates
[v] WorkSafe Victoria WorkWell Respect Fund Guidelines Edition 1 April 2023
[vi] Australian Human Rights Commission, Everyone’s Business: Fourth National Survey on Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces 2018
[vii] Australian Human Rights Commission Time for respect: Fifth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces 2022
[viii] Donna Bridges, Elizabeth Wulff, Branka Krivokapic-Skoko & Larissa Bamberry (2022): Girls in trades: tokenism and sexual harassment inside the VET classroom, Journal of Vocational Education & Training, DOI: 10.1080/13636820.2022.2084768
[ix] Vaughan, K. 2017. “The Role of Apprenticeship in the Cultivation of Soft Skills and Dispositions.” Journal of Vocational Education & Training 69 (4): 540–557. doi:10.1080/13636820.2017.1326516.
[x] Niemeyer, B., and H. Colley. 2015. “Why Do We Need (Another) Special Issue on Gender and VET?” Journal of Vocational Education & Training 67 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1080/13636820.2014.971498.
[xi] Johansson, M., K. Johansson, and E. Andersson. 2018. “#metoo in the Swedish Forest Sector: Testimonies from Harassed Women on Sexualised Forms of Male Control.” Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 33: 419–425. doi:10.1080/02827581.2018.1474248
[xii] McFarlane, A, D. Bridges, and R. Townsend 4 December 2020. “A Culture of Retribution’, Sex Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying – The Undue Costs of Women Working in Ambulance Services in Australia”. The Women’s Agenda. https://womensagenda.com.au/ latest/a-culture-of-retribution-sex-discrimination-harassment-and-bullying-the-unduecosts-of-women-working-in-ambulance-services-in-australia/
[xiii] Menches, C., and D. M. Abraham. 2007. “Women in Construction: Tapping the Untapped Resource to Meet Future Demands.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 133 (9): 701–707. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2007)133:9(701).
[xiv] Holdsworth, S., Turner, M., Scott-Young, C., & Sandri, K. (2020). Women in Construction: Exploring the Barriers and Supportive Enablers of Wellbeing in the Workplace. Melbourne: RMIT University.
[xv] Francis, V., Chugh, R., Yang, W., Tivendale, L., & Cunningham, E. (July 2021). The Evaluation of the Victorian Women in Construction Strategy Program,. The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne.
[xvi] Rommes, E., W. Faulkner, and I. van Slooten. 2005. “Changing Lives: The Case for Women-Only Vocational Technology Training Revisited.” Journal of Vocational Education & Training 57 (3): 293–317. doi:10.1080/13636820500200288.
[xvii] Rochelle Banks (2023) Culture, complaint and confidentiality: an autoethnographic exploration of sexual harassment, Gender and Education, 35:4, 315-9,DOI:10.1080/09540253.2023.2167945
[xviii] Nisbet, L., Halse, G., van Esbroek, E., Heywood, W., Powell, A. & Myers, P. (2022). National Student Safety Survey: Qualitative research on experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault among university students in 2021. Melbourne: The Social Research Centre.
[xix] Stolk, J., Gross, M., & Zastaavker, Y. (2021). Motivation, pedagogy, and gender: Examining the multifaceted and dynamic situational responses of women and men in college STEM courses. International Journal of STEM Education, 8.