Advertisement

94 percent of women in Hollywood have experienced 'sexually harassment or assault'

A staggering 94 percent of women working in Hollywood have been the subject of either sexual assault or sexual harassment, according to a new survey.

USA Today polled 843 women in the entertainment business, in partnership with non-profit group The Creative Coalition, Women in Film and Television, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center in the US.

The survey asked the women, who hold a variety of roles in Hollywood, about experiences of harassment in the workplace.

Nearly all – 94 percent – said that they had experience harassment or assault of some description, while 87 percent said that they’d been the subject of ‘unwelcome sexual comments, jokes or gestures’.

75 percent of those polled said they’d witnessed others being the subject of unwanted sexual comments, and 69 percent said they’d been touched in a sexual way.

Meanwhile, 64 percent said they’d been propositioned, 21 percent said they’d been forced to perform a sex act,10 percent said they’d been ordered to appear naked at an audition without prior consultation, and 20 percent said they’d been asked to perform sex acts in exchange for roles or promotions.

According to the data, only one in four women reported their experiences, and did not do so for fear of ‘personal or professional backlash or retaliation’.

One camera operator who spoke anonymously to USA Today, said: “It happens so frequently that it’s just the functioning normal.

“For me, this includes everything from misogynistic or sexual comments made over a headset while working, to blatant grabbing to comments about my body. I’ve spent the last 20 years accepting it as the price of doing business in a ‘man’s job.’”

An actress speaking to the newspaper added: “There are also little ways women get manipulated into showing more of their bodies on camera.

“Like, I had a friend who was on an HBO show and the producers called her the night before she’s supposed to start shooting and tell her that if she didn’t do full frontal nudity (which they didn’t state that they expected at her audition), they would demote the role from a recurring to a one-time guest star.”

Anita Raj, director of the Center for Gender Equity and Health at the University of California, San Diego’s medical school, said: “The percentages are higher than what we typically see for workplace abuses, but we know there is variation by the type of workplace.

“But it makes sense to me that we would see higher numbers [in the entertainment industry].

“Yes, I’d like to see more solidity in the scientific aspects of how the data was collected. But 94% does not seem shocking. It says this is ubiquitous in Hollywood.”

Read more
Jennifer Lawrence on that ‘rude’ Lumley remark
BAFTAs 2018: Biggest snubs and surprises
Stallone ‘alive and well’ after death hoax