Organisational characteristics that facilitate gender-based violence and harassment in higher education?
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Authors
O’Connor, Pat
Hodgins, Margaret
Woods, Dorian R.
Wallwaey, Elisa
Palmen, Rachel
Brink, Marieke Van Den
Schmidt, Evanthia Kalpazidou
Issue Date
2021-11-22
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Gender-Based Violence and Harassment , Organisational Approach , Higher Education , Power , Intersectionality , Male Dominated Hierarchical Structures , Gender Incompetent Leadership , Neoliberal Managerialism
Alternative Title
Abstract
Gender-based violence and sexual harassment (GBVH) by and towards academics and students has been under-theorised at an organisational level in higher education institutions (HEIs). The methodology involves a critical review of the literature on GBVH and organizational responses to it, locating it in the context of an analysis of organizational power. The theoretical perspective involves a focus on power and workplace bullying. It identifies three power-related characteristics of academic environments which it is suggested facilitate GBVH: their male-dominant hierarchical character; their neoliberal managerialist ethos and gender/intersectional incompetent leadership which perpetuates male entitlement and toxic masculinities. These characteristics also inhibit tackling GBVH by depicting it as an individual problem, encouraging informal coping and militating against the prosecution of perpetrators. Initiating a discussion and action at organizational and state levels about GBVH as a power-related phenomenon, challenging the dominant neo-liberal ethos and the hierarchical character of HEIs, as well as reducing their male dominance and increasing the gender competence of those in positions of power are seen as initial steps in tackling the problem.
Description
Citation
O’Connor, P., Hodgins, M., Woods, D. R., Wallwaey, E., Palmen, R., Van Den Brink, M., & Schmidt, E. K. (2021). Organisational characteristics that facilitate gender-based violence and harassment in higher education? Administrative Sciences, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11040138
Publisher
Administrative Sciences