Susan Fineran

Gender and Power Issues of Peer Sexual Harassment Among Teenagers

This article describes the roles of gender, power, and relationship in peer sexual harassment for 342 urban high school students. Overall, 87% of girls and 79% of boys report experiencing peer sexual harassment, whereas 77% of girls and 72% of boys report sexually harassing their peers during the school year. Girls experience the more overtly sexual forms of harassment more often than boys and boys perpetrate sexual harassing behaviors more often than girls. Hypotheses of a relationship between power, gender, and the perpetration of peer sexual harassment are supported.

The Impact of Bullying and Sexual Harassment on Middle and High School Girls

The impact of bullying and sexual harassment on six health outcomes among middle school girls were compared to these outcomes among high school girls. High school girls experienced more bullying and sexual harassment and poorer health outcomes than their middle school counterparts, but the impact of these experiences was less among high school students. Differences in outcomes may be the result of better support systems and coping mechanisms among high school girls and/or challenging developmental changes during middle school. Sexual orientation, race, and disability had some notable relationships to bullying and sexual harassment experiences as well as health outcomes.

Risk Factors for Peer Sexual Harassment in Schools

This study introduces potential risk factors for victimization and perpetration of sexual harassment among teens not previously studied. The first set of analyses compared histories of perpetration and victimization by gender, as well as the relationship between risk factors and perpetration or victimization. For girls (r = .544) and boys (r = .700), the relationships between perpetration and victimization histories were very strong. Most proposed risk factors were also significantly related to perpetration and victimization histories for both genders, including alcohol use frequency, delinquency, histories of family violence and victimization, cultural and personal power, and retaliation, with all increasing as perpetration or victimization history increased. For girls, two direct paths were moderately related to victimization—delinquency and family victimization. For boys, only one variable—perpetration history—was related to victimization history. Four variables were directly related to greater sexual harassment perpetration—greater personal power, delinquency, family violence, and family victimization.

Research on Violence Against Women Creating Survivor-Informed Collaborations

This article discusses a group approach to creating collaboration among researchers, advocates, practitioners, and policy makers in research on violence against women. This model promotes mutual learning and research that is multidisciplinary and survivor-informed. We offer examples of the structures, outcomes, and processes necessary to support effective collaboration. We define collaboration as a multilayered process and we address group tensions around differing perspectives and interests, promoting diversity and cohesiveness, and relationships of power and status that need to be negotiated. We emphasize the skills and expertise of advocates in all aspects of the research process.

Peer Sexual Harassment and Peer Violence among Adolescents in Johannesburg and Chicago

In this comparison study of peer sexual harassment and peer violence in Johannesburg, South Africa and Chicago, US schools, the role of gender and power in the experience, perpetration and reaction to peer sexual harassment, physical violence and sexual violence are described for 208 South African students and 220 US students aged 16-18.

Sexual Harassment, Bullying, and School Outcomes for High School Girls and Boys:

A comparison of the impact of bullying and sexual harassment on five school outcomes was conducted on a sample of high school students. Results revealed that sexual harassment was a stronger predictor than bullying of all school outcomes for both sexes, but especially for girls. This study suggests that sexual harassment, which activates sexist and heterosexist stereotypes, erodes school engagement, alienates students from teachers, and adversely affects academic achievement, to a greater degree than bullying does.