Reproducing the Hetero-Masculine Order at Work: The Sexual Harassment of LGBTQ + Employees

Introduction: Academic scholarship on workplace sexual harassment has revealed vast differences in workplace-sexual-harassment victimization by individuals’ binary gender. However, fewer scholarly contributions have examined how victimization is patterned by other personal traits. This study provides a novel theoretical and empirical account of differences in sexual-harassment victimization and reporting by LGBTQ + status. Methods: We generate novel evidence on these processes by drawing on unique data from the 2022 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Employee Survey (n = 44,939 overall; 9806 LGBTQ +) and multivariable regression models. Results: Our analyses reveal elevated risks of workplace-sexual-harassment victimization amongst LGBTQ + individuals, all else being equal. Victimization rates are particularly high amongst pansexual, queer, bisexual and gender-non-binary employees assigned female at birth. However, we observe few differences in the reporting of sexual-harassment experiences or in satisfaction with post-reporting employer actions. Conclusions: LGBTQ + individuals are disproportionately exposed to workplace sexual harassment, particularly those who were assigned female and birth. Policy Implications: Our findings underscore the need for continued investment in programs aimed at mitigating workplace sexual harassment and to ensure such programs operate hand-in-hand with LGBTQ + diversity-and-inclusion initiatives.