Exploring Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women’s experiences of workplace sexual harassment: summary

This research provides qualitative insights into the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women in Wales who have experienced gender-based sexual harassment in the workplace. 

It also explores the ways in which gender and racial discrimination can intersect and impact on reporting of sexual harassment, responses and outcomes. Racial discrimination encompasses race, ethnicity, culture and religion, and in this context other aspects of intersectionality are also relevant, such as class status and job security.

Finally, this research aims to provide qualitative insights into the experience of sexual harassment encountered by ethnic minority women,  the factors that influence their reporting behaviours, and their experience of reporting sexual harassment, and how these are influenced by gender, race, ethnicity, culture and religion.

Qualitative methods were chosen for this study to elicit accounts reflective of the participants’ experiences, their perceptions of their experiences of workplace sexual harassment, and their beliefs about the issues at stake. The sampling method was self-selection from a call for participants shared through VAWDASV support networks.

The project did not aim to be representative but rather exploratory, focussing on capturing in-depth personal accounts of harassment. Within the demographic of ethnic minority women who may have experienced workplace sexual harassment in Wales, criteria were established to capture a relevant sample via self-selection that would be useful for informing current and future policy and practice. The method of data collection was individual semi-structured interviews. This evolved from the initial focus groups proposal, to ensure participants were willing to share their experiences. The final sample was five participants. Interviews took place online via Microsoft Teams and support workers were made available to participants, before, during and after their interview. 

Participants described experiencing forms of harassment that women from majority ethnic backgrounds might also experience, such as inappropriate questions, unwanted touching, sexual gestures, sharing of non-consensual images with colleagues, jokes and innuendo. However,  experiences were also described that were explicitly linked to ethnicity, culture and religion, such as ‘hair-touching’ or comments regarding religious clothing, including hijabs.

Participants described how experiences of discrimination impacted their reporting of sexual harassment in the workplace. In some cases, the racism was felt more immediately in the workplace and there were managerial structures that prevented reporting. Discrimination was also felt in terms of not being listened to regarding inequality concerns and receiving different treatment, which resulted in ethnic minority women being excluded from workplace alliances.

Participants described not being able to easily find guidance or someone that they could speak to. For example, in situations where the head of an organisation was involved in the harassment or friendly with the harasser, other neutral senior colleagues or Trustees should be accessible but were described as inaccessible.

A key barrier to reporting was feeling that the harassment was not bad enough, worthy of support, or that there was not enough evidence to advance a complaint. Connected to the perception that the harassment is not bad enough is the experience of minimising responses. Some participants described trying to have conversations with colleagues about what they were experiencing that minimised the experience or deflected responsibility.

Participants described the impact of job insecurity, fixed-term contracts and concerns about progression on creating a culture where employees do not feel confident to report. If racism from senior colleagues was also involved, participants felt they had no one to turn to.

For participants who did try to escalate their complaint through formal reporting procedures, there were descriptions of not being told the outcome of conversations with the harasser and having to chase the outcome themselves. Furthermore, for those who did report, it was not felt as though there were any repercussions for those that had caused harm. 

In addition to ensuring access to someone to speak to, concern was expressed about having to have conversations with supervisors or managers about workplace sexual harassment in ordinary work environments, which were described as inappropriate or uncomfortable.

The research findings detail a range of barriers to reporting sexual harassment in the workplace for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women and unhelpful or minimising responses when harassment was disclosed and support sought. Within the findings are considerations for workplaces to improve their responses to complaints of sexual harassment, such as:

• not minimising initial responses and acting right away to support disclosures
• ensuring there is someone impartial, specialised, and in charge of wellbeing that employees could speak to or be supported by if they are restricted by their management structure, toxic workplace culture or lack of workplace alliances
• communicating clearly with complainants following any form of conversation related to reporting, no matter how formal/informal
• avoiding generalising sexual harassment policies, as generalised policies can and potentially miss opportunities to protect people with marginalised identities
• considering online activity in their sexual harassment policies, online working is seen as a protective measure, but it does not mitigate harassment entirely
• ensuring provision of appropriate spaces for conversations about concerns, as opposed to in ordinary work environments, which might be inappropriate or uncomfortable
• improving equality, diversity and inclusion overall in workplaces might improve a general understanding about inclusive practices

Despite changes in the Welsh landscape in terms of representation and support, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women continue to experience discrimination and inappropriate behaviour that compound gender, race, religion and culture in a range of workplaces.

There is an ongoing need to create useful and inclusive policies and procedures that protect minoritised individuals based on their needs, to ensure that those who do report are listened to, responded to and communicated with clearly and respectfully, and cultural inclusion and sensitivity training.

In future research, more resource would allow for community partners and stakeholders to be involved in consulting on, designing and promoting the research within their communities to improve the response rate and response accuracy.

To ensure representative responses from across Wales, it is considered that partnership/gatekeeper organisations in each region are linked with to ensure access to and response from victims. Investigations could also take place within certain sectors to create more granular findings.

Future research would benefit from being linked with organisations that could afford access to groups of women or individuals in spaces they frequent or feel comfortable. The higher response rate to the research detailed in the recent TUC (2024) report suggests the importance of trusted organisations and spaces in the opening up of conversations about the topic of workplace sexual harassment among ethnic minority women.

Report author: Dr Sophia Kier-Byfield

Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government.

For further information please contact:

Equality, Race and Disability Evidence Units
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Email: EqualityEvidenceUnit@gov.wales 

Social research number: 92/2025
Digital ISBN: 978-1-80633-411-7