Twenty-one senators, including U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), are currently asking the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect data on the economic costs of sexual harassment in the labor force.
“In recent weeks and months, the #MeToo movement has brought to light the experiences of countless workers who have endured sexual harassment for far too long. A vast majority of the American public agrees that this problem is severe, and it is time for our leaders to stand up and address this issue head on… Right now, we do not know how many gifted workers and innovators were unable to contribute to our country because they were forced to choose between working in a harassment-free workplace and their career,” the senators wrote in a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary R. Alexander Acosta and BLS Acting Commissioner William Wiatrowski this week.
The BLS compiles data on labor economics and statistics. It releases a monthly report on industry job gains and losses, unemployment rate, and wage growth and loss.
The senators also addressed reported information released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which states that 87,683 sexual harassment claims were filed between 2010 and 2016. These are only the individuals who were able to file a claim with that agency, the senators wrote.
“We hope that you will seriously address this enormous threat to our nation’s workers by collecting data on the prevalence and cost of sexual harassment that can better inform policy and procedures to address these problems,” they wrote.