Sexual Harassment at Work post #MeToo? It's still there and women are losing protection with the elimination of DEI.
Here's a look at sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace today, how the elimination of DEI affects it, how to protect yourself and stand up for yourself without jeopardizing your career.
Welcome to Own Your Ambition, the weekly newsletter designed to give professional women the tools they need to be successful. As a former CEO who made it to the C Suite from an entry level, I know first hand what it takes for women to realize their ambition and reach their career goals.
The Epstein files have taken over the headlines lately with sexual abuse and harassment being a daily topic of discussion. Epstein and Maxwell, of course, are the prime focus of vile crimes against girls and women. And despite constant efforts to distract and push the conversation to gerrymandering, military force in DC, and Putin, the noise about a potential cover up continues.
The Epstein case is the extreme, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that every day sexual abuse and harassment occur in and out of the workplace, and women suffer the consequences. Not only has incidents of inappropriate behavior remained a factor, but the absence of DEI policies and training creates more of a challenge for women who feel they have no support to address this and protect them.
This newsletter addresses what sexual harassment is like in the workplace today post #MeToo, how to protect yourself and stand up for yourself without jeopardizing your career.
Over the course of my corporate career, my stories of sexual harassment are too numerous to share. They span from overt sexual invitations to off color comments. In the beginning of my career especially, there wasn’t a day that I didn’t hear inappropriate remarks, innuendos and jokes, even if they weren’t always directed at me. That was the workplace culture in the 90’s. People thought it funny, and it was tolerated …. until it wasn’t.
As we became more empowered post #MeToo, we started to stand up for ourselves and demand the respect we deserve. The #MeToo movement emboldened us to speak up, defend ourselves and fight back. We banded together.
But the culture is shifting again. Can we talk about men throwing green dildos on the court of a WNBA game? The obvious truth is that sexual harassment isn’t a relic of the past, it has barely shifted. To the contrary, it’s alive, insidious, and still costing women safety, dignity, and opportunities in 2025. And the dismantling of corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs threatens to make workplaces less safe for women and other marginalized employees.
This isn’t just about one or two “bad apples.” It’s about systems that fail to prevent harassment, fail to protect victims, and often punish those who speak up.
So, what does sexual harassment look like today? How has the retreat from DEI programs affected it? And if you find yourself targeted, how can you respond without sacrificing your career?
What sexual harassment looks like today
Recent research paints a sobering picture:
75–81% of women experience sexual harassment at some point in their careers.
The most common form is verbal harassment—offensive jokes, comments, or sexual remarks—reported by roughly 80% of victims.
Physical harassment—unwanted touching, groping, or physical intimidation—still affects 23–35% of women.
Power plays are common: About 70% of incidents involve someone in a supervisory position, and over 50% involve peers.
Marginalized women are at even greater risk:
Women of color report rates as high as 84%.
Transgender employees face extreme vulnerability, with 42% reporting harassment at work in recent years.
Harassment isn’t just “big, obvious” incidents. It often appears as:
Offhand comments about appearance or clothing.
Repeated unwanted compliments.
“Accidental” touches that happen too often to be accidents.
Social or professional invitations with sexual undertones.
Spreading rumors about someone’s sexual activity or relationships.
The hard truth: the number of incidents hasn’t improved in the last five years.
McKinsey and Lean In’s 2024 “Women in the Workplace” report found that sexual harassment levels have remained essentially flat since their early studies.
And while awareness is higher, reporting remains low:
65–75% of victims never report incidents internally or externally.
When they do, retaliation is common—45–60% experience career harm, isolation, or dismissal afterward.
Only a small fraction of perpetrators—often 10% or fewer—face real disciplinary action.
In other words: Women are still being harassed, still not reporting it in large numbers, and still often punished when they do.
How DEI rollbacks affect harassment
DEI programs were never a silver bullet, but they created important structures:
Bias training that helped identify inappropriate behavior.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) where victims could safely share experiences.
Clearer policies around reporting and investigation.
In 2024 and 2025, companies like Ford, Lowe’s, John Deere, and others reduced or eliminated DEI initiatives. While hard data linking these cuts directly to harassment rates is limited, the logic is simple:
Fewer DEI programs mean fewer safeguards, fewer advocates, and fewer cultural reminders that harassment is unacceptable.
Without DEI, organizations risk:
Weakened accountability and less pressure to take claims seriously.
Loss of safe spaces where women can find allies.
Lower awareness among managers of how power dynamics create risk.
It’s not that harassment suddenly spiked overnight, it’s that the cultural and procedural walls that help keep it in check are beginning to crumble.
The cost of speaking up
Women often stay silent because:
They fear retaliation from career sabotage to social isolation.
They believe nothing will change.
They don’t want to be labeled as “difficult” or “overreacting.”
And their fears are justified. Many women who report harassment face:
Being transferred or removed from high-visibility projects.
Poorer performance reviews.
Ostracism from colleagues.
Loss of promotions or outright dismissal.
The message is clear: Protecting your dignity can cost you your livelihood.
Here’s a step by step approach to navigating harassment conversations.
This strategic approach is designed to protect both you and your professional standing.
1. Document Everything
From the first incident, start building a private, detailed record:
Date, time, location, what was said or done.
Names of any witnesses.
Copies of emails, messages, or other evidence.
A running log in a secure, personal location (not your work computer).
Think of this as your safety net. Even if you never report, it gives you clarity and power if you need to act.
2. Decide your initial approach
There’s no one “right” first move. It depends on the severity, your safety, and your goals.
Direct conversation to the person (if safe) If harassment is less severe or you want to stop it before escalating. “That comment makes me uncomfortable. Please don’t say that to me again.”
Informal conversation with a trusted ally. If you need advice, a witness, or to gauge whether others have noticed.“I experienced something yesterday that felt wrong. Can I run it by you?”
Formal meeting with HR/management. When harassment is severe, repeated, or poses a risk to you or others. “I want to report an incident of workplace harassment. I have documented details to share.”
3. If you address the harasser
Be direct, calm, and factual:
“When you put your hand on my back in the break room yesterday, I felt uncomfortable and it crossed a professional line. Please don’t touch me again.”
This sets a clear boundary and creates a verbal record—especially if witnesses hear you.
4. If you report internally
Lead with facts: Avoid emotional language at first.
Ask about process: “What happens next in this investigation?”
Confirm protections: “Can you confirm and put in writing that confidentiality and non-retaliation will be upheld?”
Follow up in writing: Send an email summarizing the conversation so there’s a timestamped record.
5. Use anonymous or confidential channels if available
If your company offers an ethics hotline or confidential reporting system, use it.
When anonymity is available, reporting rates go up because fear of retaliation goes down.
6. Seek allies early
This could be:
Trusted colleagues.
Mentors or sponsors.
Employee Resource Groups.
External advocates (legal aid clinics, women’s advocacy groups).
Allies can:
Validate your experience.
Provide witness statements.
Amplify your concerns if leadership tries to ignore them.
7. Protect your career while protecting yourself
If the harassment is from someone with power over your role, consider requesting a transfer before or during the reporting process.
Keep your performance strong and documented so no one can fabricate “performance issues” as retaliation.
Quietly network externally, just in case you need to exit.
8. External escalation
If internal channels fail:
In the U.S., file with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or your state’s fair employment agency.
Consider contacting the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund or similar advocacy groups.
Some states have extended statutes of limitations for harassment claims—know your local laws.
The hard truth and the path forward
Sexual harassment in the workplace is still common, under-reported, and too often mishandled. DEI rollbacks threaten to make that worse, eroding some of the structures that have historically helped women feel safer coming forward.
But while the system may be flawed, women still have tools:
Documentation is your shield.
Strategic conversation is your sword.
Allies are your armor.
You shouldn’t have to choose between your dignity and your career. Yet until cultural and structural changes catch up, strategic navigation remains a necessary skill for women in the workplace.
Final Word
You are not alone.
You are not overreacting.
And you are not responsible for the discomfort of someone who harasses you.
If you speak up, whether directly, internally, or externally, you’re not just protecting yourself. You’re making it harder for that person to harm others.
It’s not fair that the burden is on you. But by approaching the situation with clarity, documentation, and strategic communication, you can defend your boundaries without letting your career be collateral damage.