Congratulations to Prof Connie Guberman on receiving the UTSC Pedagogical/Professional Development Grant (PPG) to work on a literature review, Sexual Harassment/Sexual Misconduct in Universities: Prevalence, Impacts, Strategies for Change.
Over the past 20 years, much work has been dedicated to rape culture and campus violence affecting women students however, little has been done about the extent of, experience and impact of unwanted sexual behaviour/sexual harassment of women faculty (and other instructors) in educational institutions in Canada.
Based on 2019 data from the Survey of Postsecondary Faculty and Researchers (SPFR), more than one-third of women reported having experienced at least one type of harassment in their postsecondary institution in the past year. These behaviours included verbal abuse, humiliation, threats (i.e. to career or reputation), physical violence and unwanted sexual attention or sexual harassment. The impact and consequences of experiencing sexual misconduct/sexual harassment are varied and complex, including: feelings of embarrassment and shame; increased sense of isolation; emotional stress and physical distress, interrupted career trajectory, low job satisfaction, as well as overall negative views of the institution in which she works (affecting retention as well). Lived experiences of race, Indigeneity, disability and LGBTTQ/gender non-conforming, compound these impacts.
Prof Guberman’s literature review will focus on impacts and strategies for addressing the sexual misconduct on university campuses. She anticipates that this literature review will lead to further, more focused, research and action to address this issue. We look forward to hearing more from her as her work progresses, and learning more about what action we can all take to address this issue.