Sexual Harassment Can Have Serious Negative Effects on Victims’ Mental Health

 Posted on November 30, 2022 in Main

Nearly one in three women will be sexually harassed at work, and although workplace sexual harassment tends to affect women more often than men, men can be victims, too. Reporting sexual harassment is rarely easy and straightforward, and it can become even more complicated when power dynamics are at play. If you are being harassed at work, it is important to know your rights, as well as the potential consequences you could suffer if you do not take action to stop the sexual harassment.  

How Are Victims of Sexual Harassment Affected? 

In addition to the embarrassment and awkwardness of dealing with sexual harassment in the moment, sexually harassing actions can leave the victim feeling terrible for days, weeks, and even months afterward. Some of the physical and psychological side effects that victims report after being sexually harassed at work include, but are not limited to: 

• Nausea
• Weight loss or gain
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Headaches
• Sleep disorders 
• Sexual dysfunction 

Even people who consider themselves strong and resilient may be surprised by how poorly they feel after being harassed at work. There is no shame in admitting that a hostile workplace environment leaves you feeling shaky, anxious, or even fearful about going into work and facing the person who harasses you. You may also feel anger at people who observe the sexual harassment without intervening, or for coworkers you speak to about the behavior who fail to stand up for you.

It is also important to know that sexual harassment does not have be strictly “sexual” in nature. For example, if you have a supervisor who loudly and frequently discusses how obvious he thinks it is that women are not as intelligent as men, and who freely teases female coworkers about their intellectual capabilities, that is a form of unlawful harassment. If someone regularly makes you feel less-than others at work because of your sex, gender, or sexual orientation, it may constitute unlawful harassment. 

Call a Wheaton, IL Sexual Harassment Lawyer

If you are being sexually harassed at work, you probably already know what a damaging effect this can have on your mental health and wellness. To get help taking action against an employer that refuses to protect you from sexual harassment in the workplace, schedule an Initial Attorney Meeting with a DuPage County, IL sexual harassment attorney with Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick & Mirabella, LLC. We offer consultations in strictest confidentiality, so you never have to worry about retaliation from your boss simply because you met with an attorney to discuss your options. Call us today at 630-665-7300. 

Source: 

https://discoverymood.com/blog/mental-health-consequences-associated-workplace-sexual-harassment/