By Sue Carter
IN EARLY FEBRUARY,Q&Q ran a survey hoping to better understand the prevalence of sexual harassment within the Canadian publishing industry. In total, 185 people responded to the anonymous survey; 53.5 per cent reported that they had experienced harassment, most frequently in the form of unwanted touching and staring, verbal remarks, and persistent invitations of a sexual nature. An even larger number (63.2 per cent) say they have witnessed harassment, assault, or predatory behaviour. Seven people reported online or physical stalking, and there were two reports of sexual assault or rape.
The majority of those who reported having been harassed are women (86 per cent), most of whom are currently employed in full-time positions in their early to mid-careers, with nearly half describing their industry experience as between three and 10 years. The accused harassers are most often peers or colleagues (32.1 per cent), followed closely by employers (28.3 per cent). Individuals with inf luence and authors make up the accused in the remaining percentage of incidents.