Laura Bates presentation to University APPG 8 December 2015

Laura Bates 17 December 2015

Background info: Everyday Sexism Project

  • Launched in April 2012
  • Collects testimonies of gender inequality of all kinds
  • Over 100,000 testimonies collected to date including thousands from university students and academics
  • Talks, workshops and seminars carried out at universities around the country, including: Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, De Montfort, Durham, Exeter, Goldsmiths, Kent, KCL, Liverpool, Loughborough, LSE, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Sheffield, Swansea, Stirling, SOAS, Westminster, York – more feedback and experiences drawn from these sessions

Overview of Findings

The problem is complex and encompasses: sexism, sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape

It is not confined to any particular area (such as nights out or football teams), and can affect students across campus, including in residential halls, lecture theatres and spaces like canteens and student unions

Perpetrators include supervisors, professors, lecturers and university staff, as well as members of the public (in cases of sexual harassment in public spaces whilst at university) but are most often fellow students

Particular occasions like Freshers week, initiations, drinking swaps, bops/events, club nights can provide opportunities for harassment. When these are university-organised or affiliated events, it gives the impression that the discrimination is institutional and makes female students feel even less able to complain.

Social media can exacerbate the problem (Facebook ‘spotted’ pages, ‘confessions of a uni student’, LadBible, Uni Lad, the Tab).

Many victims of harassment and assault experience victim-blaming, often from close friendship groups

The vast majority feel unable to report their experiences to anybody, including police or university staff. Many are unaware of their rights or of how to report if they wanted to. Many are unaware of any support system in place to help them.

Sexual harassment/assault is often normalised – it’s just ‘boys being boys’ or ‘the way things are’

While these experiences are very widespread, and should be seen as a worrying pattern, this is not, of course, to vilify male students in general – perpetrators are a small but very vocal minority, and we see increasing numbers of male students who are keen to be part of the solution and challenge these attitudes. Support from universities could help to encourage and facilitate this. Male students who stand up currently often face backlash and homophobia themselves.

Female academics also report a wide range of experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination within university settings. There is a marked fear of speaking out due to the precarious careers of many academics – women are afraid of being blackballed, labelled a troublemaker or punished for speaking out.

Perpetrators are sometimes in a position of power over both student and academic victims

Many student unions are doing excellent work with good practice in areas such as zero tolerance to sexual assault at student events. However, this is patchy, and often student initiatives struggle to find the support and buy-in they need from university administration.

There is often a frustration and feeling that universities would rather sweep problems under the carpet than risk their reputation by tackling a problem openly

Students who do try to protest/campaign/complain often face backlash, from fellow students and sometimes from universities

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