Sexual Harassment in Education in The United States - Effects of Sexual Harassment in Education

Effects of Sexual Harassment in Education

In their 2006 report, "Drawing the Line" the AAUW found physical and emotional effects from sexual harassment on female students:

• 68% of female students felt very or somewhat upset by sexual harassment they experienced;
• 6% were not at all upset.
• 57% of female students who have been sexually harassed reported feeling self-conscious or embarrassed
• 55% of female students who have been sexually harassed reported feeling angry.
• 32% of female students who have been sexually harassed reported feeling afraid or scared.

The AAUW also found that sexual harassment affects academics and achievement:

"Students experience a wide range of effects from sexual harassment that impact their academics including: have trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, decreased participation in class, avoid a study group, think about changing schools, change schools, avoid the library, change major, not gone to a professor/ teaching assistant’s office hours. Students may experience multiple effects or just one. The wide range of experiences lowers the percentage of students who experience any particular effect."

• 16% of female students who have been sexually harassed found it hard to study or pay attention in class.
• 9% of female students dropped a course or skipped a class in response to sexual harassment.
• 27% of female students stay away from particular buildings or places on campus as a result of sexual harassment.