Examining institutional responses to power-based sexual misconduct: Higher education after #MeToo

在过去的一年里，#MeToo运动引起了全世界对机构应如何应对性骚扰问题的关注。性骚扰，或者在本研究中使用的术语，性行为不端，既是性别不平等的原因也是后果，不仅对那些经历过性骚扰的人，也对他们周围的人造成了严重和持续的影响。本研究将记录和评估正在进行的干预措施，以如何在一个有影响的地方解决这一问题：高等教育。它将重点关注英国、美国和澳大利亚高等教育（HE）工作人员的性行为不端，以便为学术界内外机构如何解决这一问题的修订创新模式做出贡献。为了做到这一点，PI将利用她作为1752小组主任在这一领域的创新工作，该小组是一个研究和游说小组，致力于解决高等教育中员工的性行为不端问题。她之前在这一主题上的工作一直处于该领域新一波研究的前沿，已经在英国高等教育领域产生了影响。之前的研究涉及绘制和描述高等教育中员工性行为不端问题，这个新项目将建立在通过之前的研究和她与高等教育部门正在进行的工作中获得的专业知识的基础上，专注于解决这一问题，并将她的研究扩展到澳大利亚和美国这两个进一步的地点，研究机构正在采取哪些措施来解决员工性行为不端问题，并探索新的方法。这将通过一项国际多地点定性研究来进行，这将对学术界内外目前正在进行的机构改革作出重大贡献。这项研究涉及四个方面。首先，PI将在两个研究领域进行文献综述，这两个研究领域可以阐明解决高等教育中性行为不端的机制：机构环境中的儿童性虐待和工作场所性骚扰。其次，对正在实施创新实践的美国和澳大利亚六所高等教育机构的主要利益相关者进行文献分析和访谈，将阐明英国高等教育机构如何改进对这一问题的回应。第三，与英格兰四家案例研究机构合作，这些机构的员工性行为不端的风险较高（研究密集型和表演艺术机构），将开展焦点小组讨论，以探索学生-包括，至关重要的是，性暴力幸存者-在高等教育中与员工的制度流程和专业界限的经验。第四，在英国案例研究机构中，文献分析和对关键利益相关者的访谈将确定需要解决的正在进行的工作中的特定问题或差距，并将根据PI之前在该领域的研究对这些问题进行批判性评估。这些发现将有助于制定解决英国高等教育中员工性行为不端问题的国家框架。PI与该领域的部门机构、机构和国际合作伙伴有着良好的联系，这些联系以及研究的及时性将有助于确保这项研究也具有很高的影响力。这种影响将通过与四个个案研究机构建立关系来实现；通过举办知识分享活动和国际会议；并通过发布故障排除工具包，以及其他活动。学术出版物将提交给领先的高等教育，性别和社会学期刊。总的来说，这项研究将导致高等教育机构实施更雄心勃勃、创新的、基于证据的预防策略；提高工作人员不当性行为的报告率；加强处理报告的机构准备。这最终将使这些机构成为更安全、更平等的工作和学习场所。

Over the last year, the #MeToo movement has led to worldwide attention towards the issue of how institutions should tackle sexual harassment. Sexual harassment, or in the terminology used in this research, sexual misconduct, is both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality, and leads to severe and ongoing impacts not only for those who experience it but also for those around them. This study will document and assess ongoing interventions into how to address this issue in one influential site: higher education. It will focus on sexual misconduct by staff in higher education (HE) in England, the US, and Australia, in order to contribute to revised, innovative models of how institutions within and outside academia should tackle this issue. In order to do this, the PI will draw on her innovative work in this area as director of The 1752 Group, a research and lobby group that addresses staff sexual misconduct in HE. Her previous work on this topic has been at the forefront of a new wave of research in this area that has already been impactful in the UK HE sector. This previous research has involved mapping and describing the problem of staff sexual misconduct in HE, and this new project will build on the expertise gained through this previous research and her ongoing work with the HE sector to focus on solutions to this issue and to expand her research to two further sites, Australia and the US, examining what institutions are doing to address staff sexual misconduct and exploring new approaches. This will be carried out through an international multi-sited qualitative study that will make a major contribution to institutional reforms currently underway within and outside academia. The research involves four strands. First, the PI will carry out a literature review within two research areas that can shed light on mechanisms to address sexual misconduct in HE: child sexual abuse in institutional settings, and workplace sexual harassment. Second, documentary analysis and interviews with key stakeholders in six institutions in the US and Australia where innovative practice is being carried out will illuminate how HE institutions in the UK can improve their responses to this issue. Third, working with four case study institutions in England where there is a heightened risk of staff sexual misconduct (research intensive and performing arts institutions), focus groups will be carried out to explore students' - including, crucially, sexual violence survivors' - experiences of institutional processes and professional boundaries with staff in higher education. Fourth, within the English case study institutions, documentary analysis and interviews with key stakeholders will identify particular issues or gaps in ongoing work that need to be addressed and these will be critically evaluated drawing on the PI's previous research in this area. These findings will contribute to the development of a national framework for addressing staff sexual misconduct in HE in the UK. The PI is well connected with sector bodies, institutions, and international partners in this area, and these connections, as well as the timeliness of the research will help to ensure that this research also has a high impact. This impact will be carried out through building relationships with the four case study institutions; through running knowledge-sharing events and an international conference; and through publishing a trouble-shooting toolkit, among other activities. Academic publications will be submitted to leading higher education, gender and sociology journals. Overall, this research will lead to higher education institutions implementing more ambitious, innovative, and evidence-based prevention strategies; to increased reporting rates for staff sexual misconduct; and to greater institutional preparedness for dealing with reports. This will ultimately make these institutions safer and more equal places to work and study.