Workplace Sexual Harassment A 'Serious Problem,' Majority Of Americans Say

In light of the accusations of sexual abuse and assault by the film mogul Harvey Weinstein, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll found that a large majority of Americans believe sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious problem.

Sixty-four percent of Americans believe sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious problem, according to the poll, a number that stood at 47 percent in 2011. The poll also found that 30 percent of women said they received unwanted sexual advances from men who worked at the same company as them, and 23 percent said they had received advances from men who had influence over their work situation. A third of the women classified the advances as sexual abuse, while 79 percent said it was sexual harassment. Overall, 54 percent of women said they have received unwanted sexual advances whether at work or outside.

Only 42 percent of women said they reported unwanted sexual advances, and 65 percent of women said they think men who sexually harass women in the workplace get away with it. Only 29 percent of women said they think there are consequences to such behavior, according to the poll measuring Americans' attitudes about sexual harassment. The poll was conducted Oct. 12-16 among a random sample of 1,260 adults, including 740 women.

Also See: Hollywood's Problem Of Sexual Misconduct Goes Beyond Harvey Weinstein

Weinstein is the latest in a line of powerful men who have been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. Such allegations also led to the ouster of two high-ranking Fox News officials, the network's chairman Roger Ailes and one of its anchors, Bill O'Reilly. Even President Donald Trump has been accused of sexual abuse by multiple women.

Since the allegations against Weinstein came to light after investigative reports in The New York Times and The New Yorker, several prominent actresses have spoken about their experiences with sexual abuse and assault in Hollywood. The actress Alyssa Milano asked women to share the status "Me Too" on social media if they had experienced sexual harassment or assault, leading to thousands of women across the globe sharing the status on their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Most recently, actresses Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Lawrence spoke out about their experiences. Both women were honored Monday night at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, where they spoke out.

Witherspoon told the audience the recent revelation of decades of sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein has brought her own experiences back "very vividly." She said she had "true disgust at the director who assaulted me when I was 16 years old and anger at the agents and the producers who made me feel that silence was a condition of my employment." She didn't name the director.

Lawrence detailed what she called a "degrading and humiliating" experience when she was asked early on in her career to lose 15 pounds in two weeks for a role. She was then forced to pose nude alongside thinner women for photos that she said a female producer told her would serve as inspiration for her diet.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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