Sexual harassment is an unfortunate reality for a lot of women on the job, but there’s one career that seems to result in more unwanted sexual advances than any other: waitressing. As if keeping tabs on multiple tables at a time wasn’t stressful enough, female servers often also have to deal with being demeaned and objectified.
Although just 7% of American women work in the restaurant industry, waitresses comprise a full 37% of all sexual harassment claims filed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Working with so many customers leaves waitresses vulnerable to all sorts of unsavory characters that might be sitting at their table. The vast majority of waitresses acknowledge receiving unwanted, suggestive remarks from diners under the guise of jokes. The harassment doesn’t stop there: waitresses are twice as likely to be touched and/or pressured to go on a date by customers than their male counterparts.
Why do so many waitresses put up with this behavior? Generally, it boils down to the fact that they’re working for tips. Most waitresses don’t even earn minimum wage because their income is supposed to be supplemented by tips. Since they are literally counting on these tips to get by financially, waitresses feel obligated to smile and ignore the harassment so as not to put their income in jeopardy.
At the same time, it’s important not to pass the blame off solely to the customers where management would be less culpable. In fact, 66% of waitresses report being harassed by someone at the management level. Furthermore, 80% report sexual harassment from coworkers. This mistreatment is particularly high in restaurants where there is a clear gender divide between a predominately male kitchen staff and a female waitstaff.
A lot of waitresses point to employee uniforms as part of the problem. Most restaurants have required uniforms, though often these outfits differ for men and women. Women are three times more likely to report feeling “uncomfortable” when wearing these mandatory outfits, generally due to their more revealing nature, which help prompt customers to make unwanted comments on the waitress’ appearance. When uniforms are not issued, that isn’t always a victory for waitresses either. Many waitresses report being encouraged by management to wear more provocative clothing to earn better tips.
