Tackling sexual harassment in the workplace

Experiences of sexual and sexist harassment are pervasive for women in Scotland, and sit on the continuum of men’s violence against women which is both a cause and consequence of women’s inequality.

Engender has been awarded funding from Rosa, the UK fund for women and girls, to explore how we can prevent sexual and sexist harassment in the workplace in Scotland and improve outcomes for victim-survivors who have experienced or are experiencing it.

This funding is part of a broader funding stream linked with #TimesUp, and Rosa is also funding separate and distinct projects on sexual harassment which are being conducted by women’s organisations across the UK including Close the Gap, the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre, Fawcett Society, Chwarae Teg and the Women’s Resource and Development Agency.

The project

Our project is looking at workplace harassment as this requires a distinct response from employers and civic institutions, and current responses to sexual and sexist harassment often see individual women adjusting their own behaviours, leaving jobs or engaging with reporting and investigating systems that do not suit their needs. Our project seeks to rebalance this risk away from individual women and identify structural changes to make workplaces safer and more equitable. You can read more about the project in a blog by our Policy Officer Mariah Kelly here.

Engender has convened an Expert Working Group as part of the project comprised of experts in employment in discrimination law, HR, men’s violence against women and women’s equality.

Members of the group are:

• Emma Ritch, Executive Director, Engender (Chair)
• Joanna McLaughlin, National Violence Against Women Coordinator, Improvement Service
• Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap
• Kelsey Smith, Programme Officer, Close the Gap
• Eilidh Dickson, Policy and Parliamentary Manager, Engender
• Maria Macleod, Solicitor, JustRight Scotland
• Professor Nicole Busby, School of Law, University of Glasgow
• Katie Brown, Policy Manager, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
• Katy Mathieson, Coordinator, Scottish Women’s Rights Centre
• Dawn Farquhar, HR Manager, Midlothian Council
• Elouisa Crichton, Counsel (Employment and Equality Law), Dentons
• Dilraj Sokhi Watson, Co-CEO, Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre
• Linda Somerville, Deputy General Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress
• Susan Duffy, Head of Engagement and Communications, Scottish Parliament

Engender also provides secretariat support to the working group.