Deliver Your News to the World

HoneyBook Report Illustrates 54 Percent of Women in Photography and Design Experience Sexual Harassment, Compared to 48 Percent of Overall Female Workforce  

As a result, the company is instituting sexual harassment clauses in the platform’s contracts to help self-employed creatives protect themselves and combat sexual harassment


San Francisco – WEBWIRE

HoneyBook, the business management platform for entrepreneurs in creative industries, today released the first-ever report dedicated entirely to understanding how sexual harassment affects self-employed creatives, which includes industries such as photography, design and planning, among others. The report reveals that sexual harassment is widespread in yet another industry, and the company is launching a new tool to combat it by helping to protect customers from the devastating and silent culture.
 
Drawing from a survey of more than 1,000 creative entrepreneurs, from December 11 - December 18, 2017 HoneyBook uncovered that women who earn a living on a project-basis are forced to endure continued sexual harassment in workplaces without regulated environments.
 
Self Employed Creatives are Sexually Harassed More Than the Average 9-to-5 Female Employee
Of the creatives surveyed, 54 percent of self-employed creatives have been harassed at least once. That’s more than the 48 percent of currently employed women in the United States who say they have been sexually harassed at work. The nature of the harassment varies as well; HoneyBook’s data paints the picture of what sexual harassment looks like. Of those who experienced sexual harassment, 77 percent of the time it was unprofessional comments on appearance. Demeaning nicknames accounted for 76 percent of the harassment and 60 percent fell victim to physical intimidation.

Once an Incident of Sexual Harassment Occurs, Entrepreneurs Lack the Structure to Report
Creative entrepreneurs who work for themselves don’t have HR departments to regulate workplace behavior or loose agreements. What’s more, they are dependent on both word of mouth referrals and tips, facing a reporting predicament when these referrals make up a large part of their income. In fact, 65 percent of respondents were sexually harassed by an attendee of an event at which they were working.
 
The report uncovers a sad reality for those who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment. They live in silos, with an alarming majority of incidents going unreported: 83 percent did not report the sexual harassment to anyone, period (compared to about 75 percent from a University of Michigan study). When it was reported to the authorities or someone else, 51 percent of the time, no action was taken.  
 
The Lack of Sexual Harassment Reporting May be Linked to the Need to Earn a Living  
Most creatives do not have anyone to report the incidents to, especially because 58 percent of respondents do not have a sexual harassment clause in their contract. Harassers likely feel invincible due to a lack of reportage and action taken: 18 percent of victims have been harassed by the same person/people more than four times.

Professionally, these creatives are faced with a choice: continue with the project or gig and earn their desired rate at the risk of another instance of harassment, or, report it and sacrifice the client and rate and possibly future business.
 
Eighty-two percent of creatives who experienced sexual harassment chose the former, continuing with the project in spite of the sexual harassment. Of the 18 percent who reported an incident, less than half were paid for project. What’s more, 41 percent kept working in similar environments. Forfeiting business opportunities for their own safety, 34 percent of creatives did not work with the client again because of the experience of sexual harassment.

To see the full report and learn more about HoneyBook, go to: https://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/sexual-harassment-report/

This data comes right off of the heels of a report on the Gender Pay Gap within the Creative Economy, which garnered the attention of Chelsea Clinton.
 
Methodology
HoneyBook surveyed 1,087 self-employed creatives on its platform to better understand how the culture of sexual harassment, one that has touched nearly every industry, is affecting workers in the creative economy. This survey was administered from December 11 through December 18, 2017.

About HoneyBook
HoneyBook is the business management software leader in the B2B creative economy. Over 50,000+ creative entrepreneurs connect through their platform to share opportunities, collaborate, and manage their business—all in one place. HoneyBook allows these creative entrepreneurs to focus on doing what they love while its software manages administrative tasks like invoicing and payments. Founded in 2013 by four friends who were all entrepreneurs in creative industries: Oz Alon, Shadiah Sigala, Naama Alon and Dror Shimoni, HoneyBook creates a better way for creative business owners to manage their clients and own their freedom. Learn more at honeybook.com.
 


( Press Release Image: https://photos.webwire.com/prmedia/42381/219402/219402-1.png )


WebWireID219402




 
 HoneyBook
 Sexual Harassment
 Software
 Creative economy
 Photography


This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.