Are we Asking the Right Questions? A Belgian Case Study on the Sexual Harassment Prevalence gap

Abstract

Sexual harassment (SH) in higher education has been extensively researched, yet no consensus has been reached on how to define or measure the problem. In practice and research, SH is still predominantly framed as a ‘women's problem’, risking a limited and epistemically unjust understanding. This study investigated whether the commonly observed prevalence gap between self-labelled SH and SH identified through behavioural checklists varies across groups within a single university. Findings indicate that several demographic and organisational characteristics influence the likelihood of this prevalence gap emerging, suggesting that different groups interpret SH in distinct ways.

Keywords

sexual harassment prevalence Flanders higher education

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