More Men Reporting Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Washington, DCA growing number of men are reporting cases of sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a recent report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">In the 19-year period between 1990 and 2009, the percentage of men reporting sexual harassment to the EEOC has doubled from eight to 16 percent. Though women still file the vast majority of claims, the EEOC reports that more than 2,000 of the roughly 12,700 harassment claims filed in 2009 were from men, the majority of which alleged male-on-male harassment.

The growing number of claims seems to suggest that the incidents have been increasing in recent years, but some believe that more men are simply reporting these incidents than ever before.

"I think maybe it's just harder for males to come out and file a complaint because of how embarrassing it is," said Johnathan Pilkington, a sexual harassment claimant, in an interview with the Associated Press. "When I talk about it I get this nauseous feeling in my stomach."