Sexual Harassment in Higher Education: Re-Framing the Puzzle of Its Persistence

Abstract

Sexual harassment continues in undercurrents of college life, despite policies to prevent and punish it. This study explored women’s perceptions of sexual harassment in the academy using in-depth interviewing to uncover their ways of defining it. We used literatures on higher education administration, policy, and identity theory to frame our interview protocol and highlight the puzzle. Then we used feminist critical policy analysis to seek the sense making of college women who, in describing their experiences, revealed institutional structures that convey the cultural assumptions that sexual harassment is a non-event. We then demonstrate the need for policy reframing, given these findings.