Sexual Harassment in Hollywood Remains Pervasive, Says #MeToo-Era Survey

Sexual abuse and harassment of employees remains pervasive in Hollywood, but progress has been made, says a survey by WIF (formerly know as Women in Film).

The polling was completed last month to coincide with the sixth anniversary of The New York Times’ exposé on Harvey Weinstein that ignited the #MeToo movement and revealed abuse and assault around a toxic workplace culture in Hollywood. 

“Six years ago, our industry was forced to reckon with its failures and abuses. To provide resources and support to those impacted, WIF launched the Help Line. While we’ve seen improvement in the industry in the years since, there’s no denying discrimination, harassment and other misconduct still run rampant,” WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer said in a statement.

The latest WIF survey found 59 percent of respondents agreed the culture around sexual abuse, harassment and misconduct in Hollywood workplaces had improved in the year since WIF released a #MeToo-era fifth anniversary report in Sept. 2022. At the same time, 46.2 percent of respondents said they or someone they knew had experienced abuse or misconduct while working in the entertainment industry in the last year.

That represented a 33.7 percent reduction in those reporting offending workplace incidents in the year since WIF conducted the 2022 survey. At the same time, harassment at work, especially towards women facing unwanted sexual attention, remains too common in Hollywood.

“I worked for a company that mainly employed men. My looks, outfits and weight were always a topic of discussion,” one respondent said while wishing to remain anonymous. For people impacted by the current labor action work stoppages in Hollywood, the number of people reporting they had been sexually assaulted or harassed on the job in the last year dropped to 40.4 percent. 

“While the numbers have improved, results and anonymous anecdotes show that abuse and misconduct continues to be prevalent in our industry,” the WIF survey said in its commentary alongside the polling results. WIF CEO Kirsten Schaffer added: “For 50 years, WIF has been fighting for gender equity in Hollywood and beyond, and we will continue this type of 1:1 community engagement in order to hold a mirror to our industry and demand industry-wide accountability.”

Many of the respondents to the WIF survey pointed to abuse and harassment from men in higher positions of power, despite #MeToo campaign efforts to raise awareness and reduce sexual misconduct. “He treated me like a child and was petulant in his communication. I was always on eggshells with him and it made me incredibly uncomfortable. I was the only one he acted like this to and I was the only female,” one respondent answered anonymously.

Between Sept. 11 and 22, 2023, WIF polled in all 266 respondents from within the entertainment industry for the survey, around 95.4 percent of which identified as women. Another 1.9 percent of respondents identified as men, and 2.7 percent identified as nonbinary or another gender.

While the key findings point to industry improvements, those responding to the WIF survey remain very much impacted by the widespread incidence of sexual abuse and harassment — and possibly resulting career damage — while being not especially hopeful for safer and more secure Hollywood workplaces.

“I was fired from the first job I ever held after asking why my male counterpart was making more money than I was, was sexually assaulted on the first set I ever worked on, and was sent illicit photos from talent on a show I was working on. I strongly feel that #MeToo has done nothing except teach men how to hide their behavior better,” one respondent said in an anonymous quote.