research

Cover page of a report titled 'National Survey of State Legislators on Legislative Workplaces' with an illustration of government buildings at the bottom.

National Survey of State Legislators on Legislative Workplaces (2025)

While addressing sexual harassment is NWDL’s primary focus, workplace harassment doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it happens in an ecosystem. This survey takes a wider lens to assess the legislative workplace more broadly when it comes to issues that also disproportionately impact women, including pay, benefits, family-friendly infrastructure and culture, as well as sexual harassment.

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Cover page of a report titled "Abuse of Power" by the National Women's Defense League, March 2025, discussing sexual harassment in state government. The cover features an illustration of a grand, classical-style building with columns and ornate details in shades of blue and white.

Abuse of Power: Uncovering Sexual Harassment in State Government - Report Update (2024)

The new report updates NWDL’s ongoing tracking: Since 2013 there have been at least 400 incidents of sexual harassment committed by 145 sitting state lawmakers, with actual incidents likely three times as much due to underreporting by survivors and legislatures.

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Cover page of a report titled 'Abuse of Power: Uncovering A Decade of Sexual Harassment in State Government' by the National Women's Defense League, dated November 2023. The cover features an interior view of a government building with rows of columns and a balcony.

Abuse of Power: Uncovering a Decade of Sexual Harassment in State Government (2023)

Our inaugural report reveals that sexual harassment by sitting state lawmakers over the last decade is pervasive and ongoing: At least 134 statehouse lawmakers were accused of sexual harassment by 363 individuals since 2013 – with actual numbers likely three times as much due to under reporting by survivors and legislatures.

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