Seventy percent: the reality of workplace harassment in India
Tackling harassment requires shifting responsibility to organizations as well as men to create safer workplaces for women.
Abstract
A LinkedIn survey among women in corporate firms across India reveals that nearly 70% have experienced at least one form of workplace harassment in the past year. The most common is sexist hostility, followed by unwanted sexual attention, many women also report criminalised acts like unwelcome touching and indecent exposure. One in three women never report incidents, fearing retaliation, while many change jobs, carry items for self-defence, or leave the workforce altogether. These experiences impose a “harassment tax”, women are willing to forgo nearly 19% of wages for a safer workplace.
This is an output of the Gender, Growth and Labour Markets in Low Income Countries programme.
Citation
Diego AD and Sitnisky D. ‘Seventy percent: the reality of workplace harassment in India’ G2LM LIC Policy Brief, No. 79, 2025
Links
Seventy percent: the reality of workplace harassment in India