Their consolidated comments are discussed on p. 16 and presented in appendix V.

	Almost One-Third of NIH Employees Alleged Sexual Harassment, but Few Filed Complaints

Approximately 32 percent of NIH employees reported that they were the recipients of some type of uninvited, unwanted sexual attention in the past year, and employees filed 32 informal complaints and 20 formal complaints with NIH’s OEO between October 1990 and May 1994. Over 96 percent of NIH employees who said they were sexually harassed reported that they decided not to file complaints or take some other personnel action. While Fewer Employees Alleged Sex Discrimination, Nonreporting Was Still a Significant Problem

Thirteen percent of NIH employees indicated to us that they believed they had experienced sex discrimination over the last 2 years. Between October 1990 and May 1994, 209 informal and 111 formal sex discrimination complaints were filed by female and male employees at NIH. 1.) Partly in response to these controversies, NIH management has, in recent years, taken actions aimed at improving the agency’s EEO climate. 2.) All 10 ICDs offered some form of sexual harassment prevention training. National Institutes of Health Employee Survey

Congress has requested that the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), an independent agency of Congress, review the extent and type of sexual harassment and sex discrimination that may be happening at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the extent and nature of sexual harassment and sex discrimination at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) 32 percent of NIH employees surveyed reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in the past year, but 96 percent of these employees opted not to file an equal employment opportunity (EEO) complaint or take other personnel action; (2) NIH employees filed 32 informal and 20 formal sexual harassment complaints between October 1990 and May 1994, however no determinations of sexual harassment were made in response to these complaints; (3) about 13 percent of NIH employees believed they had experienced sex discrimination over the last 2 years, but 90 percent of these employees chose not to file grievances or EEO complaints; (4) NIH employees filed 209 informal and 111 formal sex discrimination complaints between October 1990 and May 1994, however no determinations of sex discriminations were made in response to the formal complaints; and (5) although NIH has recently acted to improve its EEO climate, more could be done in the areas of timeliness, information, and training.