There are no numbers to tell how pervasive the problem is, or even what exactly the problem is. It’s not that there is reason to doubt it’s a problem, that women real estate agents are exposed to male buyers and sellers in vacant houses and apartments where the men can sexually assault or rape the agents. Then there are also men who flirt or make jokes they find humorous which the agent does not. Some decry this as sexual harassment, though others will argue that it’s hardly on the same level as sexual assault.

Still, women real estate agents want to be protected.

So when a homeowner in the coastal town of Oceanside, Calif., called and said he would consider selling, Ms. Ghodsi, eager to find a property for her client during the pandemic, agreed to meet him at his condominium — alone.

As they talked that afternoon in August 2021, the man began inching his chair closer to hers. Then he reached out, groped her thigh and forcefully kissed her.

“I kind of blacked out a little,” said Ms. Ghodsi, 37. “I was trying to be calm and collected because I was by myself in a stranger’s house. The door was maybe five feet away, but I had no idea what this guy was capable of doing.”

That anyone would do this is horrifying. Ghodsi just wanted to sell houses and make some money, and getting a listing is a very good way to do so. But what kind of sick dude saw that as an opportunity to sexually assault her?

But then, what can be done to protect a real estate agent from such conduct?

The National Association of Realtors reports that 66 percent of their members are women. Many were attracted to the field for the same reasons as Ms. Ghodsi: flexible schedules, a workplace that’s almost entirely remote and a licensing process that can be completed in as little as a few weeks.

But the industry is also structured so that 90 percent of agents are not actually employees of the agencies they work with. They are independent contractors, which means they are not protected under Title VII — the federal law that prohibits discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

There are a great many real estate agents whose licenses are held by established realtors, but who don’t really work for a living. If they can get a listing from a few friends and the properties sell, they can bring in some big and easy money. If not, nothing lost. Same with finding friends a home or apartment. They work when they feel like it, maybe taking desk time when they have nothing better to do and doing more important thins otherwise. It’s the epitome of legit independent contractors. and allows agents who aren’t really interested in “a job” with the chance to make money if and when the mood strikes.

But others take it very seriously and work very hard at the job. They can be highly professional and very hard working. That too is part of the gig, offering the go-getter the chance to go and get. And some women are extremely good at it and go and get a great deal of listings, sales and income. And when they make big money, their agencies do too, often taking a greater split of the commission. So wouldn’t these agencies want to protect their money makers from harm?

It also means that many real estate agencies that rely on these agents for the vast majority of their income do not feel obligated — or even inclined — to offer them any kind of institutional protection or training. For most of the women out there, it is up to them to come up with safety strategies like sharing their location with a family member or friend, insisting on references before meeting a client — or even carrying a firearm for protection.

What, exactly, would these agents have their brokers do? Should they send women agents out with armed guards? That would certainly make a buyer feel comfortable. Should they require all buyers and sellers to have their identities verified in advance of a meeting or showing? Putting aside how customers would feel, most people contact the agent directly and it would be left to the agents to decide whether to rush out for an immediate showing or tell a putatively interested seller that she won’t be there to pitch for the listing until she feels safe.

And what sort of training is needed to tell women not to meet an unknown male buyer at night in an empty apartment or not to let someone know where you’re going just in case?

The National Association of Realtors, a trade organization representing 1.5 million members, has been resistant to require any sort of safety training of its members.

Classes in its Realtor safety program, which includes webinars on best practices for safety, remain optional. On the group’s website, the program makes safety a matter of personal precautions, advising agents to avoid showing houses after dark and always ensure that properties have reliable cellphone service.

Agents say the solution requires industrywide buy-in, and some recommended universal background checks for buyers and making mandatory safety trainings a contingency for all brokerages’ memberships in trade organizations. Others suggested that female agents have an option to ask for an escort when client meetings feel unsafe, with their brokerages covering the cost.

It’s not to say that there aren’t real threats out there for women real estate agents, but that there aren’t viable solutions. Is there some sort of magic “best practice” that’s eluding all women agents that would save them from harm? If women agents can demand an escort for client meetings at the broker’s expense, the financial dynamics of the relationship changes significantly. Real estate brokerages aren’t there for the safety of agents, but to make money off them, just as the women agents are there to make money off the brokerages. The fear here isn’t that a broker or co-worker will attack or harass you, but that a potential client will.

Granted, there is no reason women need to be subjected to that sort of risk, but that’s because there are sick people out there, not because the broker did anything to you. Nothing prevents a female real estate agent from bringing along an escort on her own, a family member or friend, if she feels threatened, but that’s the nature of being an independent contractor, making your own choices and going to get the big bucks.