The numbers at a glance
- 15.1% of EEOC sexual harassment charges in fiscal 2024 were filed by men
- 1,280 charges that represents, out of 8,474
- 16.2% the share in fiscal 2010, the start of the series
- 43% of men report experiencing sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime, 2018 national survey
- 17% of men report being touched or groped in an unwelcome way
The EEOC is the only agency that publishes the sex of the people filing sexual harassment charges. California does not. So this page is national, and the California takeaway is legal rather than statistical: the Fair Employment and Housing Act protects men exactly as it protects women, and a male target has the same claim against a female or male harasser.
What the surveys say about men
The 2018 national study found 43 percent of men had experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime, 34 percent verbal harassment, 17 percent unwelcome touching and 7 percent sexual assault. Federal employee surveys reviewed by the EEOC task force found between 14 and 19 percent of men reporting unwanted sexual attention or coercion in each survey year. Against those rates, men filing about one in six charges looks like under reporting, not over reporting.
What the law says in California
- Sexual harassment does not require sexual desire. California law says so expressly, so hazing, sexual humiliation and gender policing directed at a man are covered.
- Same sex harassment is unlawful. The harasser's sex and orientation are irrelevant.
- Harassment of a man for being seen as not masculine enough is sex based harassment and is also protected under the gender identity and expression rules.
- The remedies are identical: lost pay, uncapped emotional distress damages, punitive damages, attorney fees.
The practical hurdle for male clients is usually not the law. It is being believed by HR and by their own coworkers. That is why documentation matters even more in these cases.
Deadlines that decide these cases
A California worker has three years from the last act of harassment or discrimination to file with the Civil Rights Department, and one year after a right to sue notice to file in court. The federal deadline is much shorter, 300 days to file a charge with the EEOC. The counts on this page only include people who filed inside those windows. Everyone who waited too long is missing from every table here.
Harassed at work? Men have the same rights.
Free, confidential case review with a California employment lawyer.
Sources
The figures on this page were taken from the following publications, as released by the agencies. Percentages, changes, sums and rates per 100,000 workers are our own arithmetic from those figures.
- EEOC, Table E2c, Title VII sexual harassment charge receipts and resolutions, FY 2010 to FY 2025, www.eeoc.gov
- Stop Street Harassment, 2018 national study on sexual harassment and assault, stopstreetharassment.org
- EEOC, Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace, 2016 report, www.eeoc.gov
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of sexual harassment claims are filed by men?
Can a man file a sexual harassment claim in California?
Can a man be sexually harassed by a woman?
Why do fewer men file?
Attorney advertising. The figures on this page come from the public sources listed above and are reproduced or computed as described. They are provided for general information and do not constitute legal advice, nor does reading this page create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different. If you believe your rights were violated, consult a California employment attorney promptly, filing deadlines apply.