Australian Bureau of Statistics, 23rd August 2023
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has today released new data on sexual harassment, physical violence, and sexual violence in Australia.
- 1.7 million Australians sexually harassed in 2021-22
Survey results showed that 1.3 million women and nearly half a million men experienced sexual harassment in 2021-22. Sexual harassment was considered to have occurred if a person was subjected to behaviours that made them feel uncomfortable and were offensive due to their sexual nature. Women were more likely to experience sexual harassment by a male (1.2 million) than a female (110,900). Whereas men were about as likely to experience sexual harassment by a male (310,800) as by a female (250,400). Nearly half (45 per cent) of the 1.3 million women who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months experienced multiple sexual harassment behaviours. Women who experienced sexual harassment were more likely to experience it by a known person (63 per cent) than by a stranger (55 per cent). The rate of sexual violence was higher for women living in households under financial stress.
Read more: Sexual harassment, 2021-22 financial year
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1 in 3 Australians have experienced physical violence
An estimated 7 million Australian adults (36 per cent) have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. In the survey, physical violence is defined as any incident involving the occurrence, attempt, or threat of physical assault since the age of 15. An estimated 4 million men and 3 million women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. Both men and women were three times more likely to experience physical violence by a male perpetrator than by a female perpetrator. Violence against men most commonly occurred in a public location like a pub venue or out on the footpath. It was also most likely perpetrated by a stranger. However, women were most at risk in the home, and the perpetrator was most often an intimate partner. Almost half of the men and women were physically injured in their most recent physical assault by a male. In the 12 months after the assault, nearly two-thirds of women and just over a quarter of men experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety.
Read more: Physical violence, 2021-22 financial year
- 1 in 5 women have experienced sexual violence
An estimated 2.2 million adult women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. In the survey, sexual violence is defined as any incident involving the occurrence, attempt, or threat of sexual assault since the age of 15. The survey found that 22 per cent of women have experienced sexual violence by a male, and less than one per cent by a female. Women were over three times more likely to have experienced sexual violence by a man they knew than by a male stranger. In women’s most recent sexual assault by a male, the perpetrator was most often an intimate partner (53 per cent) and the incident most often occurred in a home (69 per cent). In the 12 months after the assault, two-thirds of women experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety, and one in nine had to take time off work.
Women from different socio-demographic groups experience different rates of sexual violence. The prevalence of sexual violence declined with age; the rate was highest for women aged 18 to 24 years. Women with disability were more likely to have experienced sexual violence than women without disability. Women who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or who used a different term such as asexual, pansexual or queer were more likely to have experienced sexual violence (13%) than women who identified as heterosexual (2.4%). For both groups, 98% of those who experienced sexual violence in the last two years experienced it by a male perpetrator. Sexual violence among single mothers was more prevalent than among women who were part of a couple. The rate of sexual violence was higher for women who were currently studying compared with women who were not currently studying. Women who were renting were more likely to have experienced sexual violence than women who owned their home. The rate of sexual violence was higher for women living in a capital city compared with women living outside of a capital city.
Read more: Sexual violence, 2021-22 financial year
If you or anyone you know is in need or crisis, please call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline (13 11 14).