Facing the Giant: A Framework to Undo Sex‐Based Discrimination in Academia

Abstract

In 2019, American workers reported 26,221 claims of workplace harassment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Nearly half of those claims represented sex-based harassment. The #MeToo movement has shined a spotlight on the pervasiveness of harassment across sectors and institutions. A 2018 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine indicates that 58 percent of women in academic institutions, for instance, have experienced some form of sexual harassment. In this article, the authors propose a three-part framework to establish a culture of zero tolerance of sexual harassment. The framework helps academic and other institutions prevent sexual harassment, protect victims from risks of reporting harassment, and set accountability measures to demand justice. The utility of the framework is twofold. First, administrators can apply it as a tool to audit institutional attitudes toward sexual harassment. Second, leaders can apply it as a corrective tool to prevent permissive organizational climates that allow sexual harassment to be perpetuated.

What Can Professional Scientific Societies Do to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Case Study of the American Elasmobranch Society

“…Suggestions were compiled, and then organized both by which aspect of institutional culture and climate would be affected and by difficult of implementation. Following Bishu and Kennedy (2020) these recommendations are structured into three axes: efforts to create greater diversity representation and inclusion, attempts at establishing responsive and trusted reporting systems, and work to create meaningful accountability. We note that most suggestions here fall into the "create greater diversity representation and inclusion, " but that all three are extremely and profoundly important.…”

“…This may be especially important in settings like academia, where power differentials can be significant but not explicitly delineated, and senior scientists possess substantial power to influence the career prospects of early career researchers (Benya, 2019). Organizational pathways include changes to power structures, culture and climate, and existing levels of diversity (Bishu and Kennedy, 2020).…”

“…Key steps in this process would include reflective work within organizations to identify marginalized groups within organizations and the institutional structures, practices, and cultures contributing to that marginalization, and efforts to thoughtfully, intentionally, and specifically intervene around these identified barriers to create more inclusive, safe, and welcoming environments (Madzima and MacIntosh, 2021). Where effective, these interventions will most likely cluster along three key axes: efforts to promote greater diversity, representation, and inclusion, to establish responsive and trusted reporting systems, and to build meaningful accountability measures (Bishu and Kennedy, 2020).…”

Me Too? Yes, Me Too! Sexual Harassment of Female Expatriates in China’s Overseas Enterprises

“…A wide range of studies illustrates the pervasiveness of workplace sexual harassment (Bishu & Kennedy, 2020; Chamberlain et al, 2008; McDonald, 2012). Reported incidents represent only the “tip of the iceberg” compared to all incidents in the community (Battaglio & Hall, 2018; McDonald, 2012).…”

Can Respectful Employees Create Equitable Institutions? Promoting a Culture of Respect in the Higher Education Workplace

“…The vulnerability of junior and non-tenure track faculty in the hierarchical promotion and tenure system is especially problematic, particularly on medical campuses (Bishu & Kennedy, 2020; Kirkner et al, 2020). Less senior or contingent faculty members may view the cost of reporting in terms of career disruption as greater than the benefit the individual would receive by reporting (Kirkner et al, 2020, p. 11).…”