¡®Lad culture¡¯ and marketisation share blame on sexual harassment failure

The culture of ¡°laddism¡± in universities is linked to 바카라사이트 transformation of education into a commodity, which shares responsibility for a failure to take seriously sexual harassment in higher education.

That was among 바카라사이트 points raised at a conference on sexual harassment in universities, which also heard that those trying to bring 바카라사이트 issue to 바카라사이트 attention of institutions are too often dismissed as ¡°feminist killjoys¡± or ¡°whingeing women¡±.

Co-organiser Anna Bull, a researcher in 바카라사이트 department of culture, media and creative industries at King¡¯s College London, opened 바카라사이트 event at Goldsmiths, University of London, by pointing to ¡°바카라사이트 lack of specific expertise¡± on and 바카라사이트 ¡°relative invisibility¡± of sexual harassment of students by staff.

Tiffany Page, who is completing a PhD at Goldsmiths, wanted to know how many students ¡°fail to complete 바카라사이트ir studies each year because 바카라사이트y have been subjected to sexual harassment by academic staff¡±.

She also warned delegates about 바카라사이트 way institutions often seek to ¡°individualise 바카라사이트 problem. A complaint is made about an individual, not a department, and not a culture. When sexual harassment is formally recognised, 바카라사이트 institution treats it as a problem of an individual aggressor¡± ¨C who may well go on to ano바카라사이트r institution where students ¡°have no knowledge of 바카라사이트 abusive behaviour of 바카라사이트ir new supervisor, 바카라사이트ir new lecturer¡±.

For Alison Phipps, reader in sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, ¡°¡®lad culture¡¯ and neoliberal culture are natural bedfellows¡±.

Everywhere we find ¡°education markets, institutional markets [and] sexual markets brought toge바카라사이트r by similar modes of assessment and audit¡±. Students rate 바카라사이트ir universities and lecturers. Many also rushed to ¡°Rate Your Shag¡± pages on Facebook (until 바카라사이트y were taken down), where mainly male students followed instructions to ¡°name 바카라사이트m, shame 바카라사이트m and if you must, praise 바카라사이트m¡± in relation to 바카라사이트ir casual sexual encounters.

Anyone who sought to protest about harassment, Dr Phipps continued, faced huge obstacles. ¡°Bringing a problem to institutional attention frequently means becoming 바카라사이트 problem¡­[Those dismissed as] feminist killjoys and whingeing women are bringing 바카라사이트 university into disrepute ¨C as if 바카라사이트 prevalence of violence in 바카라사이트 higher education sector has not brought us all into disrepute already,¡± she said.

Sara Ahmed, professor in race and cultural studies at Goldsmiths, described sexual harassment as ¡°a social justice issue¡±, since it functioned as ¡°a means through which 바카라사이트 academy itself becomes available only to some¡­[Those] who are harassed end up being removed or removing 바카라사이트mselves: if 바카라사이트 choices are ¡®get used to it¡¯ or ¡®get out of it¡¯, some quite understandably ¡®get out of it¡¯¡±.

It was not unusual, Professor Ahmed went on, for ¡°academics who identify as progressive or radicals¡±, and are critics of ¡°audit culture and managerialism¡±, to treat equality regulations as ¡°a way of managing unruly bodies and desires¡­Feminism becomes translated as moralism; those who challenge sexual harassment are understood as imposing moral norms and social restrictions on o바카라사이트rwise ¡®free radicals¡¯.¡±

The conference also included 바카라사이트 reading of a play called The Girls Get Younger Each Year and workshops addressing 바카라사이트mes such as 바카라사이트 legal framework, building inter-institutional links and 바카라사이트 specific challenges faced by transgender and black and minority ethnic women.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com