Sexual Harassment in the Academy: The Case of Women Professors

Abstract

is it really possible for a student—who possesses relatively little power—to sexually harass a faculty member who possesses considerable reward and expert power as well as legitimate authority / are women faculty as vulnerable to sexual harassment as are women in other professions / does the academic environment provide protection to women who are potential victims or does it, through its organization, norms, and climate, actually protect potential harassers / in what ways is it unique or similar to other organizations in these respects explores the sexual harassment of women professors / survey data from 210 women faculty at Purdue U suggest harassment is relatively widespread / the data further indicate that women experience these behaviors from all sources—superiors, peers, and students / the academic environment is then considered in terms of how it may both foster and inhibit the sexual harassment of women faculty (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)