Women Faculty Distressed: Descriptions and Consequences of Academic Contrapower Harassment

Academic contrapower harassment (ACPH) occurs when someone with seemingly less power in an educational setting (e.g., a student) harasses someone more powerful (e.g., a professor). A representative sample of 289 professors from U.S. institutions of higher education described their worst incident wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal about women in higher education 2016, Vol.9 (2), p.169-189
Main Authors: Lampman, Claudia, Crew, Earl C., Lowery, Shea D., Tompkins, Kelley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Behavior Problems
Bullying
College Faculty
College Students
Comparative Analysis
Gender Differences
Higher Education
Power Structure
Prevention
Sexual Harassment
Statistical Analysis
Stress Variables
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Characteristics
Teacher Student Relationship
Teacher Surveys
Women Faculty
Work Environment
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Summary:Academic contrapower harassment (ACPH) occurs when someone with seemingly less power in an educational setting (e.g., a student) harasses someone more powerful (e.g., a professor). A representative sample of 289 professors from U.S. institutions of higher education described their worst incident with ACPH. Open-ended responses were coded using a keyword text analysis. Compared to the experiences of men faculty, women faculty reported that students were more likely to challenge their authority, argue or refuse to follow course policies, and exhibit disrespectful or disruptive behaviors. Although sexual harassment was uncommon, men faculty were more likely than women faculty to recount such incidents. Women faculty reported significantly more negative outcomes as a result of ACPH (e.g., anxiety, stress-related illness, difficulty concentrating, wanting to quit) than men faculty, and negative outcomes were most likely to result from ACPH involving intimidation, threats, or bullying from students. Implications for the prevention and reporting of ACPH are discussed.
ISSN:1940-7882
1940-7890
DOI:10.1080/19407882.2016.1199385