Ivory Power: Sexual Harassment on Campus

Current estimates suggest that at least 30% of all undergraduate women experience sexual harassment by at least one professor during their four years in college. When definitions of sexual harassment include gender harassment (sexist comments and behavior), the incidence is 70%. the frequency of graduate women and women faculty and administrators who are harassed is even higher. Ivory Power discusses current research and theory on sexual harassment on college campuses. It takes a sociological perspective to understanding and eliminating sexual harassment by presenting the following issues: the emotional impact of sexual harassment and psychotherapeutic approaches that have proved valuable in treatment; the impact on women’s cognitions and a developmental model for helping women to understand and label this form of victimization; the impact of sexual harassment on physical health and suggestions for dealing with stress-related problems; and the educational interventions that have been implemented in order to challenge attitudes that perpetuate harassment.

Ivory Power also addresses the interface of racism and sexism on college campuses, the legal issues involved in academic sexual harassment cases, and suggestions for handling complaints of sexual harassment in campus settings. An up-to-date bibliography of articles and books on academic harassment is provided.