Frequency Rates and Correlates of Contrapower Harassment in Higher Education

Abstract

The current study investigated incivility, sexual harassment, and racial-ethnic harassment simultaneously when the targets were faculty members and the perpetrators were students (i.e., academic contrapower harassment; ACH). The sample constituted 257 faculty members (90% were White and 53% were women) from a medium-sized state university in the Midwestern United States. They completed an anonymous survey, including an openended question about a critical ACH incident. The findings revealed that 72% of the total sample had experienced some type of mistreatment from students during the past 2 years. The author hypothesized gender differences in frequency rates for overall ACH, incivility, and sexual harassment; however, there were none. Hence, this hypothesis was not supported. The author also hypothesized that incivility would predict sexual and ethnic harassment. This hypothesis was generally supported. Furthermore, he hypothesized that demographic, work-related, and tolerance for faculty-student romance would predict ACH and its subscales. The findings generally supported this hypothesis, with somewhat different predictors by gender. He also hypothesized that harassed faculty, especially women, would experience worse job-related outcomes than never harassed faculty. Neither gender nor the interaction was significant, but the main effect for harassment was, with harassed faculty members experiencing worse job-related outcomes than nonharassed faculty members. Thus this hypothesis was partially supported. Practical implications are discussed.

Women Faculty Distressed: Descriptions and Consequences of Academic Contrapower Harassment

“…Over the past five years, researchers have documented that ACPH is a routine part of being a professor in the 21 st century (DeSouza, 2011; Lampman, 2012; Lampman et al, 2009). Lampman et al (2009) surveyed all faculty ( n = 399; 61% response rate) at a public university about ACPH across their entire careers ; 96% of women faculty and 99% of men faculty reported at least one act of student incivility-bullying, and 26% of women faculty and 37% of men faculty reported unwanted sexual attention from a student.…”

“…Lampman et al (2009) surveyed all faculty ( n = 399; 61% response rate) at a public university about ACPH across their entire careers ; 96% of women faculty and 99% of men faculty reported at least one act of student incivility-bullying, and 26% of women faculty and 37% of men faculty reported unwanted sexual attention from a student. DeSouza (2011) also surveyed the faculty ( n = 257; 32% response rate) at a state university about ACPH experienced during the past two years ; 72% percent reported at least one harassing behavior from a student. Incivility was the most common form reported (96%), followed by sexual (31%), and racial-ethnic (11%) harassment.…”

“…Investigators have studied a number of faculty predictors of ACPH in three recent studies, including demographic variables (gender, age, race/ethnicity, marital status), and variables related to faculty status/experience (years teaching, class size, highest degree, tenure status, type of appointment, academic rank, and type of college) (DeSouza, 2011; Lampman, 2012; Lampman et al, 2009). …”

“…Early research in this area focused on the sexual harassment of university faculty by students (Carroll & Ellis, 1989; DeSouza & Fansler, 2003; Matchen & DeSouza, 2000). More recently, however, researchers have conceptualized academic contrapower harassment (ACPH) more broadly to include student behaviors that are uncivil, rude, or disrespectful; challenge a professor's authority; use bullying, threats, or intimidation; are hostile or aggressive; or involve racial-ethnic or sexual harassment (DeSouza, 2011; Lampman, 2012; Lampman, Phelps, Beneke, & Campbell, 2009). …”

¿Mito o realidad? Influencia de la ideología en la percepción social del acoso sexual

“…El acoso sexual no tiene porque producirse sólo en el ámbito laboral, sino en cualquier contexto donde se den las condiciones propicias para que un hombre acose a una mujer (Willness et al, 2007), y en este sentido, el contexto académico es uno de los escenarios más proclives a mostrar situaciones de acoso, tal y como indica la literatura (De Souza, 2011). El escenario usado en este segundo estudio se sitúa en el contexto académico.…”