MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
RE:

Interested Parties
Hart Research Associates
September 19, 2016
Key Findings from a Survey of Women Fast Food Workers

Hart Research conducted a nationwide online survey among 1,217 women age 16
and older who work in fast food restaurants in a non-managerial position.
Interviews were conducted from July 22 to 27, 2016. This memo highlights the key
survey findings.
OVERVIEW: Four in 10 women working in fast food restaurants have been
subjected to sexual harassment on the job, and many of them report serious
negative health and professional consequences as a result. Women who speak out
about the problem often face negative consequences from their employers, so
many women try to resolve it on their own and/or feel that they have to put up
with harassment to keep their jobs.
1. Forty percent (40%) of women in the fast food industry have
experienced unwanted sexual behaviors on the job, including 28% who
have experienced multiple forms of harassment.



We asked fast food workers whether they have experienced 18 types of
unwanted sexual behaviors that constitute workplace sexual harassment, a
list compiled by experts including KC Wagner of the Worker Institute at
Cornell University and other experts from the National Partnership for
Women & Families and Futures Without Violence. The most common types of
harassment include unwanted sexual teasing, jokes, remarks or questions
(27%), unwanted hugging or touching (26%), and unwanted questions about
workers’ sexual interests or information about others’ sexual interests
(20%), with 2% of women even reporting sexual assault or rape on the job.
Rates of Unwanted Sexual Behaviors Directed at
Women Fast Food Workers
Experienced Any Type of Sexual Harassment at Work
Sexual teasing, jokes, remarks, or questions
Hugging or touching
Questions about your sexual interests or unwanted information
about others’ sexual interests
Sexually suggestive looks or gestures
Comments or questions about your sexual orientation
Sexual names
Kissing, pinching, fondling, or groping

%
40
27
26
20
18
15
13
10

1724 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20009 202-234-5570 www.hartresearch.com

 Hart Research Associates
Rates of Unwanted Sexual Behaviors Directed at
Women Fast Food Workers (cont.)
%
Comments or questions about your gender or
gender identity
Pressure to go out with someone
Requests for sex
Shown or received sexually explicit images
Someone rubbed their genitals against you
Told to flirt with customers
Told to alter your appearance beyond the restaurant’s dress code,
such as wearing tighter clothing or makeup
A person exposed parts of their body to you
Told to expose any part of your body
Asked to pose for or send nude photos
Offered more hours, a promotion, or any other benefit in exchange
for a date or sexual favors
Sexually assaulted or raped

9
9
8
6
6
6
6
5
4
3
3
2

2. Sexual harassment takes a serious toll on fast food workers. Women
who have been subjected to harassment on the job report frequent
negative personal, health, and professional consequences as a result,
yet many feel compelled to accept it out of financial necessity.



Among women subjected to unwanted sexual behavior at their fast food job,
45% report health problems as a result, including stress (34%), anxiety
about coming to work (21%), depression (17%), sleep disruption (11%), and
loss of appetite (9%). Women who experience multiple types of harassment
are much more likely to suffer health consequences.
Negative Impacts on Health Resulting from
Sexual Harassment at Work
%
Experienced Any Type of Health Problem
45
General stress level increased
34
Afraid or worried about coming to work
21
More sad or depressed
17
Less productive at work
17
Sleep patterns changed
11
Appetite changed
9
Enjoyed free time less
6



Victims of sexual harassment also face significant disruptions in their job and
career. Fifteen percent (15%) changed their schedule as a result of unwanted
sexual behavior, 10% cut back on the number of hours they worked, and 8%
quit their jobs altogether. African-American workers (33%) and Latinas
(32%) are more likely to face these types of work disruptions than are white
women (25%).



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 Hart Research Associates


Despite these significant consequences, 42% of women who experience
unwanted sexual behavior feel that they need to accept it because they
cannot afford to lose their job. Latinas (47%) are more likely than Anglo
women (41%) to feel stuck and forced to accept the harassment.

3. Harassment tends to be underreported through official channels, with
many women left trying to address the situation on their own. A likely
reason for underreporting is that many women experience negative
professional consequences when they talk about the unwanted
behaviors.



Forty percent (40%) of women who have been subjected to sexual
harassment at their fast food job report the behavior to their employer.
Thirty-three (33%) percent reported the behavior to a superior within their
own store, while 5% reported it to corporate headquarters or HR, and 2%
called their company’s sexual harassment hotline.



Many workers feel that they are on their own when it comes to dealing with
unwanted sexual behavior at work, and they often resort to making personal
sacrifices to avoid harassers, such as reducing their hours. Although twothirds (66%) of women fast food workers take some sort of action to address
the unwanted sexual behavior, most of these responses are informal. The
most common response is to try to avoid the harasser (45%). Thirty-eight
percent (38%) asked the harassers to stop, and 34% told coworkers.



One in five (20%) women who suffered harassment report that their
employer took some kind of negative action as a result of their raising the
issue, including 11% who had their hours cut, 8% who were changed to a
less desirable schedule, 5% who were given additional or undesirable duties,
3% who were denied a raise or a promotion, 2% who were transferred, and
2% who were fired.



Women of color are especially likely to experience negative consequences in
response to talking to their employer about unwanted sexual attention.
Thirty-four percent (34%) of African-American women and 26% of Latinas
report at least one negative action, compared with 17% of white women.

4. More than one in five (22%) women has been subject to three or more
types of harassing behaviors at their fast food jobs. Workers who face
this type of pervasive harassment are especially likely to suffer negative
health and professional consequences, and to feel that they have no
choice but to put up with it.



Fully 64% of women who faced three or more types of unwanted sexual
behavior experienced negative health outcomes. This includes 49% who say
their stress level increased, and 31% who are afraid of coming to work.



Women who face multiple types of harassment are also more likely to
experience negative professional consequences or responses from their
companies. Sixteen percent (16%) had their hours cut and 13% were given a
less desirable schedule as a result of speaking out. Twenty-three percent
(23%) changed their own schedule in response to the harassment, 15%



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 Hart Research Associates
reduced their hours, 14% altered their appearance, and 12% quit their job
altogether.



A large majority (60%) of women who experienced three or more types of
unwanted behaviors say they have to put up with it because they cannot
afford to quit their job, meaning that, overall, one in eight women in fast
food faces extensive sexual harassment at work but feels trapped and unable
to leave.



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