SEXUAL harassment, inappropriate comments, online abuse and bullying of women are rife in Scottish journalism, broadcasting and the media.

Figures from a National Union of Journalists Scotland survey have shown a work environment in which one in 10 women say they have experienced sexual harassment and over a third have been the targets of inappropriate comments.

One woman described how when she was looking around for a chair, “a man offered I should sit on his lap instead”. Another told how when she bent over a colleague said, “While you're down there!” Yet another noted "unwelcome sexual advances from a male colleague in a senior position".

Other complaints included being “demeaned as a woman”, referred to as “girls”, and "laddish comments which male journalists describe as 'just banter'."

The portrait of life in journalism for a woman revealed in the Stronger Voice For Women In The Media 2017 survey is very different from that of that for a man. Some eight per cent of women say they have been on the receiving line of online abuse and 35 per cent said they felt there was a lack of promotion and advancement opportunities.

By comparison less than two per cent of men had experienced online abuse, inappropriate comments or sexual harassment, and only three per cent complained they lacked advancement opportunities. Women were also more likely to be victims of bullying – just three per cent of men complained of it, compared with 14 per cent of women.

One woman observed, “I have been bullied and subjected to inappropriate comments... Often I have accepted it as part of the job.”

Another revealed a catalogue of sexist behaviours: “Male colleagues brushing up against you, leaning over you a bit too closely, commenting on your legs or your bust. Bullying, by incompetent men, who didn't like being made to ‘look bad’. But also by women who seek to curry the favour of the male boss. Women often become part of the culture as a means to get on/survive.”

However, Paul Holleran, Scottish Organiser of NUJ observed that the last time any official complaints were made of sexual harassment was two decades ago. He said, “It is important that trade unions have a major role in any dialogue and are there to support women who fear putting their head above the parapet.”

The results of the survey raise the possibility that harassment is being under-reported. NUJ Women’s Project Worker Fiona Davidson said: “Women may not want to raise their head above the parapet, they may be frightened of reprisals, they may fear they will be disbelieved or ridiculed especially if they are working in a macho environment. Their employment could be precarious. They may feel they have no one to turn to, especially as the headcount in newsrooms continues to fall. ”

John McLellan, director of the Scottish Newspaper Society, the trade association for Scotland’s newspaper industry, said, “The NUJ has not raised the survey with me so I am not in possession of the details, but I would be more than happy to have a discussion with its officials. All our members take the welfare of their employees extremely seriously and I have no doubt that any complaints would be properly investigated.”

The NUJ’s Stronger Voice for Women in the Media project is looking at ways women can flag up concerns confidentially and anonymously so that they can build up a picture of problem areas and act accordingly.