Working in politics – be it through public service, governing, campaigning, policy making or some combination thereof – can be challenging. For women in New Jersey it seems even more so, according to a new survey.

Roughly two-thirds of the women who participated in the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s recent “Survey on Misogyny & Sexual Misconduct in New Jersey Politics” said they have experienced sexual harassment on the job. Nearly the same amount of all respondents – 500 men and women – said they’ve witnessed sexual harassment or misconduct in the field.

The survey results were released in a report issued by the coalition on August 11.

“This report highlights the ways in which misogyny and harassment more frequently fly under the radar, detected mainly by those most greatly impacted – survivors,” the report says. It goes on to state “”We have a culture issue in N.J. politics — a power structure based on preserving transactional relationships to the detriment of true access and equity.”

About the Participants

The coalition launched its study in January, beginning with a 27-question survey conducted on the internet via a popular online provider. The survey was held open to anyone who worked or volunteered in politics in New Jersey. When the data collection was complete at the end of April, 508 individuals had submitted responses, the group’s website indicates. Most of them, 78%, were women, a summary of the work says.

Participants identified themselves as state government employees, political operatives, activists in roughly equal numbers. Smaller percentages said they were municipal employees or others. Many indicated they had held multiple types of positions in New Jersey politics.

“Respondents to this survey overwhelmingly hold incredible amounts of privilege – the survey was completed primarily by white, heterosexual … women who hold advanced degrees,” the survey report says. “Even with considerable professional/personal privilege, they still reported high levels of harassment and assault, with little opportunity for recourse.”

Among the participants who identified themselves as county government workers, 75% said they experienced sexual harassment, according to the survey.

Types of Sexual Harassment Noted

Among the participants in the survey, 45% said they experienced verbal forms of sexual harassment, meaning sexual remarks or sexist comments. Another 15% said they experienced unwanted touching. 9% reported persistent and unwanted invitations of a sexual nature, 6% sexual coercion and 3% sexual assault or rape.

Another finding dealt with the frequency of misconduct. According to the survey report, 34% of respondents said the sexual harassment they experienced happens “moderately often.” Another 26% said it happens “slightly often.”

Respondents also shared instances of related abuses of power such as favoritism and questionable hiring practices, reporting by the New Jersey Herald said.

Elected officials were most often responsible for committing the sexual harassment reported by the survey participants, the coalition said. They were identified – generally, not individually – as committing the misconduct in 22% of the cases reported. Political operatives were accused in 13% of the instances and “staffers” in 12%.

Reporting Sexual Harassment

Almost half of the survey participants who said they experienced sexual harassment while working in New Jersey politics said they either told a family member, friend, or no one at all. Only 24% said they told a colleague and 1% either filed a claim with a government agency or notified law enforcement.

When asked why they did not report the sexual harassment, 18% of those participating in the coalition’s survey said they feared retaliation, 17% said they didn’t think it would help, and 15% said they worried about a public or social backlash.

Based on the results of its survey, the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault says there is a need to “confront gender inequity and sexual violence in N.J. politics and government through better sexual harassment training, improved human resources systems and  “investing in cultural change and accountability.”

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.