Prevalence and Correlates of Sexual Harassment of Female Students by Lecturers in the Tertiary Institutions in FCT-Abuja
Chapter One
Aim and Objectives
The aim of this study is to check the prevalence and correlates of sexual harassment in the University of Abuja and FCT College of Education. The objectives to drive this aim are below:
- This study establishes that sexual Harassment has become a phenomenon in our tertiary institutions.
- It also establishes that the female students some times are the solicitors of the sex by their provoking and immoral dressing.
- The study establishes the consequences of sexual harassment on the academic and social life of the victims who are mostly women.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter presents some conceptual frame work for the study which include: some definitions of the term sexual harassment, the growth and measurement, experience of female students in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria etcetera. It also provides the theoretical framework for the study.
What is Sexual Harassment?
Gutek and Done (2001) say sexual harassment can be a legal and a psychological phenomenon.
Legal definition: legally, two types of sexual harassment were identified (a) quid pro quo (this for that) harassment that requires the employee to submit to sexual demands as a condition for promotion to avoid trouble, or being dismissed or in the case of faculty-student relationship, sex for better grades and (b) hostile environment harassment where sexuality or discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult are being practiced in the environment in which the employee works or students learn.
Psychological definition: Psychologists defined sexual harassment on the reasonableness of the offender (Browne, 1997). From this point of view, sexual harassment is perceived as an act of unsuitable mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship. Therefore, sexual harassment was seen as an act done as a result of mental imbalance.
According to Hornby (2005) sexual harassment as putting pressure on someone, or doing unpleasant things to him or her. New Zealand Hockey Federation-NZHF (2001) conceptualized harassment as any unwelcome comment, conduct or gesture directed towards an individual or group of individuals, which is insulting, intimidating, humiliating, malicious, degrading or offensive, and is either repeated or of such significant nature that adversely affect someone’s performance, contribution or sport and education environment. Harassment as used in this current study refers to any unwanted or unwelcome behaviour directed to a female student which is insulting, intimidating, malicious, degrading or offensive and is either repeated or of such significant nature that adversely impairs the student
capacity to learn at school. New Zealand Hockey Federation (2001) further observed that harassment can take many forms namely; physical, verbal, sexual, or emotional and most often involves a combination of these elements. When harassment relates to sex or sexuality, is referred to as sexual harassment (Wikipedia Foundation, 2010).
Robinson (2005)opines sexual harassment as any physical, visual, or sexual
act experienced by a person from another person at the time or later, which asserts a person’s sexual identity as a person and makes him or her feel embarrassed, frightened, hurt, uncomfortable, degraded, humiliated, compromised and as well diminishes a person’s power and confidence. American Association of University Women–AAUW (2006) submits that sexual harassment in education is an unwelcome behaviour of a sexual nature that interferes with a student’s ability to learn, study, work or participate in school activities. Wikipedia Foundation (2010) described sexual harassment as persistent and unwanted sexual advances, typically in the workplace, where the consequences of refusing are potentially very disadvantageous to the victim.
To Larkin (1994), sexual harassment can be in three categories: verbal harassment,
physical harassment and other types of harassments. Also, Fitzgerald, Gelfand and Drasgow’s (1995) categorization of sexual harassment is composed of three related but conceptually distinct dimensions, which are gender harassments, unwanted sexual attention; and sexual coercion. To Timmerman and Bajema (1997) sexual harassment can be classified into verbal harassment, non-verbal harassment, and physical harassment. According to Witkowska (2005), it can be verbal behaviour, non-verbal displays and sexual assault behaviours. This study has adopted Gelfand, Fitzgerald and Drasgow (1995) position where they catigories sexual harassment into gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention and sexual coercion.Gender harassment involves unwelcome verbal or visual comments and remarks that
insult individuals because of their gender and can include such things as posting pornographic pictures in public places, telling jokes and making gender-related degrading remarks while unwanted sexual attention refers to uninvited behaviours that explicitly communicate sexual desires or intentions toward another person such as staring at someone’s breasts or making comments that insinuate sexual activities (Ajuwon, Akin-Jimoh & Olley, 2001; Jejeebhoy & Bott, 2003). Sexual coercion among youth encompasses a range of experiences, ranging from noncontact forms such as verbal sexual abuse and forced viewing of pornography, as well as unwanted contact in the form of touching, fondling, to attempted rape, forced penetrative sex (vaginal, oral, or anal), trafficking in person, and forced prostitution. It also includes sex obtained as a result of physical force, intimidation, pressure, blackmail, deception, forced alcohol and drug use, and threats of abandonment or of withholding economic support. Transactional sex through money, gifts, or other economic incentives (especially in the context of extreme poverty) often has a coercive aspect as well. (Ajuwon, Akin-Jimoh & Olley, 2001; Jejeebhoy & Bott, 2003). Moreover,all of these misdemeanor are observed to be trending in university of Abuja and College of Education , Zuba, thus, the study tends to research into it and find solution in order to curtail the embarrassing situation for the sake of better academic performance for the victims.
In addition, the concept correlate according to Collins (2002) , it is a phenomenon which entails placement of something or somebody in a mutual, complementary, or reciprocal relationship. Houghton (2009) defined correlate as a process of putting something or somebody into casual, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relation. In this study, it refers to process of putting the female student into casual, complementary, parallel or reciprocal experiences of sexual harassment. This therefore can be found in the target institutions as a result of some of the incidences that are refered below in this work.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, the study focuses on the methodology employed for the research. It will cover the research design, population, sample and samplingg procedure, instrument for data gathering and Analysis technique.
Research Design
The research design for the study is Survey. This design is employed specifically because of its significance of the study as a campus life event which involves sampling opinions of sexually harassed female students.
Population
The population for this study covers 1,500 female students from 4 Faculties which include: Education, Arts, Science and Law in the University of Abuja and 700 female students from FCT College of Education.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION
To what extent has sexual harassment become a phenomenon in our tertiary institutions?
Are the female students the solicitors of sex?
What are the consequences on the academic and social life of the victims?
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
This study was carried out to examine prevalence and correlates of sexual harassment of female students by lecturers in the tertiary institutions. our core focus was on the tertiary institutions in the FCT Abuja. this study was therefore reported in five chapters. the first chapter describes the problem of the study, its objectives and some corresponding research questions.
in the second chapter, some literatures were reviewed which helped to broaden the scope of the study. we reviewed literatures on sexual harassment and its implication. in the third chapter we described the research processes adopted for this study. this study adopted the survey and case study research design. a total of 2200 respondents were selected from four faculties and they were all female gender. in the fourth chapter we analyzed the responses obtained from the respondents and therefore proffered answers to the research questions.
Conclusion And Recommendation
from the responses obtained and the results presented in the preceding chapter, we can deduce that there is a high level of sexual harassment in the tertiary institutions from the lecturers. however, to strike a balance to this assertion. it is worthy to note that some female students offer themselves willingly to some lecturers as they see it as the way out of their poor performance. howbeit, sexual harassment has negative consequence on the academic performance of the students.
some of these consequences are as follows:
- it allows for promiscuity lifestyle.
- it makes the student a prey to the lecturer.
- it can cause a negative perception from other students if exposed.
- the lecturer is in position to deprive the victim of marks after sex.
- the student can be traumatized.
We therefore recommended that strict policies or laws regarding sexual harassment be applied in the tertiary institutions.
Also, there should be medium by which victims of sexual harassment can speak freely and not be victimized.
Finally, sexually harassed individuals should not be stigmatized by the public. this calls for public orientation.
References
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