More than nine in 10 women in the entertainment industry have experienced sexual harassment or assault at some point in their careers, according to a new USA Today poll.
The most common form of harassment was “unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, or gestures,” followed by “witnessing others experiencing unwanted forms of sexual comments” and “being touched in a sexual way,” according to the results, which were drawn from a sample of 843 women in front of and behind the camera.
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Additionally, nearly one in three women reported having a man expose himself to them, while one in ten women reported being ordered to appear naked for auditions.
"It happens so frequently that it's just the functioning normal," one woman, a 40-year-old camera operator who was quoted anonymously in the article, said.
The poll — a collaboration between USA Today, The Creative Coalition, Women in Film and Television, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center — comes in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment against a growing list of men in the entertainment industry.
Proud to partner with @USAToday on a new survey of women in Hollywood – 94 percent say they have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault during their careers: https://t.co/8PYt09BDyf#SupportSurvivors#MeToo#TimesUp#The94Percentpic.twitter.com/DcrjOuwZG2
— National Sexual Violence Resource Center (@NSVRC) February 20, 2018
Across the country, 45% of US women report having experienced sexual assault in the workplace, according to a 2017 MSN/Business Insider poll.
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This would mean that women in the entertainment industry are more than twice as likely to experience sexual harassment or assault than their counterparts in other workplaces.
“The percentages [in USA TODAY's survey] are higher than what we typically see for workplace abuses, but we know there is variation by the type of workplace," Anita Raj, director of the Center for Gender Equity and Health at the University of California, San Diego, told USA Today. “But it makes sense to me that we would see higher numbers [in the entertainment industry]," where the ‘casting couch’ has prevailed for decades and is considered ‘normal.’”
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Several high-profile actresses, including Salma Hayek-Pinault, Lupita Nyong'o, and Uma Thurman, have detailed their experiences with sexual assault in powerful op-eds, adding their voices to a growing movement that’s also included hotel workers, undocumented immigrants, and other laborers.
Sexual harassment and assault are not the only challenges for women in Hollywood.
Women are also subject to pay discrimination and a lack of opportunities in industry fields from directing to camerawork.
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