Public sentiment towards sexual harassment in the workplace has reversed in the last 20 years ago, Gallup says. In 1998, a majority of Americans said people in the workplace were too sensitive about sexual harassment, while today, 59 percent of Americans saying people are not sensitive enough.
That’s according to two Gallup polls—one taken at the end of October amid numerous high-profile harassment allegations, and the other taken in March 1998 as Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit against then-President Bill Clinton was heading to trial.
Women and men are more likely to take sexual harassment seriously today, with 73 percent and 66 percent respectively saying it is a big problem. In 1998, only 55 percent of women and 45 percent of men said sexual harassment was a big problem.
According to the Gallup report, “Majorities of men and women now agree that people are not sensitive enough to the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace. That realization may be especially important for men, as more women now say they have newfound willingness to file a lawsuit against anyone who has sexually harassed them.”
