Sexual Assaults on College Campuses: Peer to Peer Harassment (From Rape and Sexual Assault III, P 127-142, 1991, Wolbert Burgess, ed. -- See NCJ-134540)

• NCJ Number: 134547
• Author(s): A McCormack; J L Azarovitz; L A Michaud; K J Pailes
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: Garland Publishing, Inc.
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This study of 176 undergraduate women who entered a northeastern university in the fall of 1986 indicates that 1 in 4 women (25 percent) have experienced an incident of sexual harassment that involved a member of the university community.

Abstract

The definition of "sexual harassment" used in this study is that developed by the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology; it is defined as "the use of one's authority to coerce another individual into sexual relations or to punish the other person for his or her refusal. Sexual harassment also includes any deliberate, repeated, unsolicited oral or written comment, statement, anecdote, gesture, or physical contact of a sexual nature that is offensive and unwelcomed." The self-administered, anonymous survey elicited information on student demographic characteristics and experiences of sexual harassment on campus. Of the 176 students, 44 reported at least one personal experience of sexual harassment, and 70 were aware of another student's personal experience. Sixty-eight percent of the students named other students at the university as the source of their sexual harassment, and 36 percent named faculty members. The sexual harassment perpetrated by other students tended to be more severe than that perpetrated by other campus personnel, and it included sexual assault and rape. Implications are drawn for the prevention of sexual harassment on university campuses. 4 tables, 18 references, and the survey questionnaire