The (Un)Successful Rural Workplace Sexual Harassment Complainant

Abstract

In this paper we examine the variables that appear to impact the outcome of sexual harassment complaints. We have analysed 68 sexual harassment matters heard across Australia over the six year period between 2005 to 2010. In doing so, we have ascertained the apparent differences between the urban cases and the rural cases which might account for the relatively high percentage of successful rural matters. We did this in two ways. We first investigated whether the nature of the workplace and the type of harassment complained of differed between the urban and rural cases and if so, how these attributes might correlate with an upheld complaint. We also looked at the presence or absence of variables found in other studies to correlate with success (age, ethnicity, prompt reporting, corroboration, credibility as a witness).

Keywords: sexual harassment complaints, judicial outcomes Australia, urban/rural

JEL Classification: K00