Women at the Ministry of Defence and its arm’s-length bodies are less confident about reporting incidents of sexual harassment than they were 12 months ago – despite the department’s pledges to crack down on “unacceptable behaviours”.
A survey of members of civil service union Prospect found nearly half of female staff at the MoD, its agencies, and contractors reported that their employers had taken no action to tackle sexual harassment over the past year.
The exercise took in the views of 47 MoD staff, 70 officials at ALBs and 51 women working at private-sector defence organisations, and was designed to measure progress since a damning series of complaints began to emerge 18 months ago.
In November 2023, 60 female senior civil servants at the MoD wrote to permanent secretary David Williams to complain about a “toxic culture” of abuse and harassment at the department.
A survey of female members of the Prospect union working in the defence sector, conducted in January last year, found 61% of those at the MoD reported being the victim of sexual harassment at work. Eleven percent said they had been sexually assaulted in a work-related setting.
In May last year, Prospect and sister civil service unions PCS and the FDA called for an independent inquiry into ending the culture of sexual harassment in the defence sector. The MoD insisted it was “committed” to stamping out sexual harassment and said it encouraged victims and witnesses of “inexcusable conduct” to report it immediately.
However, Prospect’s follow-up survey has found that as of February this year little progress has been made – and that women at the MoD and its ALBs are less confident about reporting incidents of sexual harassment than they were before.
According to the latest survey responses, confidence in reporting incidents of sexual harassment has fallen in all organisations. In 2024, 65% of respondents felt confident to report an incident of sexual harassment; this has fallen to 58% in 2025.
In the MoD, confidence fell from 63% to 55%; in the MoD’s arm’s-length bodies confidence fell from 61% to 56%; in the private sector it dropped from 72% to 67%.
Fifty seven percent of respondents to Prospect’s latest survey reported that they were not aware of any action being taken in the last 12 months to raise awareness of the harms of sexual harassment at work.
Forty six percent said their employer had not taken any action to prevent sexual harassment in the last year. Prospect said that where action was identified, just 28% of respondents felt it was effective, and 26% said it was not effective.
Prospect said that in addition to female staff losing confidence in reporting incidents of sexual harassment, members had also reported declining confidence in the effectiveness of action taken by employers to deter sexual harassment.
Across the entire sector, it said confidence in deterrent activity had fallen from 47% in January 2024 to 39% in February 2025. Prospect said the fall was “sharpest” at MoD arm’s-length bodies, where confidence had plummeted from 46% in 2024 to 29% this year.
Last year’s survey found 73% of respondents at the MoD reporting that behaviours that would be considered “toxic and inappropriate” in public life were tolerated in the defence sector. The 2025 survey found 70% of respondents at the MoD reporting that their workplace culture was still “toxic”.
Prospect said female members in the defence sector wanted to see employers highlight policies on sexual harassment and clearly communicate what behaviours are unacceptable.
It said female staff were also keen for employers to ensure that colleagues tasked with investigating complaints were appropriately trained and had a “clear commitment” to action.
The union has written to defence minister Alistair Carns, who is responsible for veterans and HR issues, renewing its call for an "independent, solutions-focussed inquiry” to drive change in the sector.
“We need an independent, solutions-focussed inquiry”
Prospect deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said it was clear that the crackdown pledged by the MoD had yet to result in change – at least from the perspective of women in the sector.
“More than a year has passed since a series of disturbing revelations about the extent of sexual harassment in the MoD and wider defence sector and women do not feel that anything has changed. In fact, in a number of respects things have worsened,” she said.
“Nothing less than a wholescale top-down culture change will make this a sector that women feel safe working in. Our view is that an independent, solutions-focussed inquiry is the best way to deliver the shock the industry needs to change.”
Ferns added that a failure to address problems experienced by women in the defence sector would not help the nation’s response to the increasingly unstable global security environment.
“The international situation has not been this perilous in a generation," she said. “We need the best people working in defence and we need to get the best out of them. That is not going to happen if 50% of the population are being made to feel ill at ease due to the culture of by a culture of misogyny and harassment.”
An MoD spokesperson said a range of initiatives had been introduced to tackle sexual harassment in the department and the wider defence sector.
“No one should face sexual harassment and unacceptable behaviour at work and we are committed to supporting victims, investigating allegations, and ensuring that perpetrators face justice,” they said.
“We have taken action to improve the reporting and handling of complaints, including the creation of a new complaints reporting app, and have a programme of work for the prevention of harassment and discrimination.
“All our work under raising our standards is being overseen by an independent external challenge panel which includes a senior representative from the trade unions.
“We know that there is more to do and are grateful for the engagement from staff on improving the culture within defence.”