The Association of Flight Attendants released a report stating that two-thirds of flight attendants in the U.S. report experience verbal or physical sexual harassment during their careers. The study included employees from 29 U.S. airlines.
Types of Sexual Harassment
Federal law prohibits sexual harassment through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This applies to employers that have 15 or more employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination that explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
It is important that when unwelcome conduct crosses the line and becomes severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment to seek the advice from a qualified employment lawyer experienced in sexual harassment cases for advice and help.
About Flight Attendant Sexual Harassment
The Association of Flight Attendants’ report detailing flight attendant sexual harassment took the information from 3,500 flight attendants. Then, 35% of the surveyed workers said that they experienced verbal sexual harassment. This included lewd, suggestive and inappropriate comments in the past year alone. Also, 18% described being touched, felt, pulled, grabbed, groped, slapped, rubbed and fondled on top or and under their uniforms. Out of those that had experienced sexual harassment, over 40% said it had happened three or more times.
Plus, 68% of the 3,500 flight attendants said they did not see any efforts by airlines to address workplace sexual harassment in the past year. This is why only 7% reported the abuse.
These abuses to flight attendants made it harder to do their jobs. Since airlines do not address the harassment, it makes it hard for them to intervene in disputes between passengers. It’s not just passengers flight attendants have to be concerned about, either. An article in Cosmopolitan collected stories from 12 flight attendants working for several different airlines. They described worrying, invasive behavior from colleagues and pilots. One attendant said a pilot touched her hand and put it on his leg. Then, asked if she was more attracted to him or another pilot. Pilots tend to be a close-knit group and reports have detailed that they warn about less agreeable.
Get Help After Sexual Harassment
However, if you have experienced sexual harassment in any form in your field, you should contact a qualified employment attorney as soon as possible. If the harassment has not stopped after making a formal complaint, consulting a harassment lawyer is your best option. Your attorney will be able to provide further guidance. This could include helping you file a claim with the EEOC. Plus, an attorney will aid in building a case that will put an end to what you have experienced.