Pivotal Partners Help Employers and Policymakers Prevent Violence and Harassment in the Workplace
Data shows violence and harassment continues to be a barrier for women in the workplace. Pivotal supports partners who are working on solutions and driving reforms that help women thrive in their careers.
According to the most recent data, 37% of women report experiencing harassment at work, a number unchanged from previous years.
Pivotal’s research to identify where women still face lingering barriers to advancing their power and influence similarly revealed that toxic environments and violence in the workplace remain obstacles to equality in the United States, with some groups especially targeted:
- Younger women are more likely to see sexual harassment and gender-based violence as career barriers: 20% of women 18-24, and 16% of women 25-34 said sexual harassment has the greatest negative impact on a woman’s career.
- Women earning less than $25,000 cite violence as a personal career barrier 4x as much as women earning $200,000+.
- Native women report sexual harassment as a barrier 2x as much as white women.
Pivotal is supporting partners focused on examining how employers and policymakers can play a role in creating positive work environments to help women thrive in the workplace.
"Threats of violence and harassment and lingering bias towards women contribute to toxic workplaces across the United States. We’ve learned that removing barriers in the workplace – including the active presence of harassment and violence – is essential to promoting women’s power and influence." - Dr. Renee Wittemyer, Vice President of Program Strategy, Pivotal Ventures.
Partner organizations addressing violence and harassment in the workplace
Within state government, harassment continues to undermine women’s political representation. A report by National Women’s Defense League (NWDL), Abuse of Power: Uncovering A Decade of Sexual Harassment in State Government, shows harassment in state capitols is marginalizing women, especially women of color, influencing whose voices are heard and what policies get passed. The report finds that there have been at least 359 incidents of sexual harassment committed by 130 sitting lawmakers since 2013. In 55% of the incidents identified, no action was taken against the accused elected official. NWDL is committed to improving working conditions for women in state capitols by tracking reports of abuses, publishing the data, and driving policy change.
FreeFrom is focused on supporting survivors of gender-based violence through economic freedom, safety, and long-term financial stability. Findings from their reporting show that the #1 obstacle to survivors’ safety is financial insecurity, and that 99% of survivors are subjected to economic abuse and control of their financial resources by a harm-doer. Their Creating a Survivor-Supportive Workplace Guide gives voice to survivors and highlights what they need to thrive at work.
For people experiencing violence and harassment and violence at work, or questioning if they are, The National Women’s Law Center, in partnership with the Times’s Up Legal Defense Fund, has prepared Workplace Sex Harassment: The Basics.
About Pivotal
Founded by Melinda French Gates in 2015, Pivotal is a group of organizations that work to accelerate the pace of social progress and expand women’s power and influence in the U.S. and around the world. Through high-impact investments, philanthropy, partnerships, and advocacy, Pivotal seeks to remove the barriers that hold women—and all people—back. Pivotal includes Pivotal Ventures, LLC and Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) private foundation launched in 2022.
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