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Workplace sexual harassment can have many intangible psychological and physical consequences, but survivors also face concrete financial costs in the near and long term, according to a new report published nearly four years after the resurgence of the #MeToo movement.
On-the-job sexual harassment helps drive the gender wage gap and can result in lifetime costs for survivors ranging from $600 to $1.3 million, according to the analysis of case studies by the Time’s Up Foundation and Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
“As employers rethink their post-COVID workplaces, we need to ensure that work — whether it’s remote or in the office — is safe, dignified, and equitable,” IWPR president and CEO C. Nicole Mason said in a statement.
Direct costs — stemming from the harassment itself or potential retaliation — can include reduced earnings from scaled-back shifts, lost bonuses and lost promotions; job loss; lost benefits such as retirement contributions and healthcare; legal fees; forced career change; increased medical fees; and education and retraining costs related to reentering the workforce, the analysis found.