What are the effects of sexual harassment on the victim?
This page was last updated on:
2025-03-15
There are many physical, emotional and financial effects brought on by sexual harassment These can include:
A. Health Effects:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Sleep disturbance
- Headaches
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
B. Financial Effects:
- Decreased work performance as the victim focuses on dealing with harassment
- Increased absenteeism to avoid harassment, or due to illness from the stress, resulting in sick leave without pay
- Termination/dismissal due to retaliation from the harasser or due to decreased work performance resulting from harassment
- Cost to relocate to another city or job
- Loss of job references/recommendations
- Loss of career.
C. Social Effects:
- Violent/abusive retaliation from the harasser, or colleagues/friends of the harasser is a grievance is filed
- Having one’s personal life offered up for public scrutiny – the victim becomes the “accused,” and her dress, lifestyle, and private life will often come under attack
- Being humiliated by gossip
- Defamation of character and reputation
- Loss of trust in environments similar to where the harassment occurred or in the types of people occupying similar positions as the harasser
- Extreme stress affecting relationships with significant others, peers, family and friends.
