The Culture of Sexual Harassment in Secondary Schools

This study investigates the frequency, severity, and consequences of sexual harassment in American secondary schools, using 1993 survey data from a nationally representative sample of 1,203 8th to 11th graders in 79 public schools. We found that 83% of girls and 60% of boys receive unwanted sexual attention in school. Except for gender, social background is unrelated to either the probability or the severity of sexual harassment. However, factors characterizing the context of harassment are strongly associated with both occurrence and severity, the harassment experiences of friends, perceptions of the school environment for harassment, and whether the student has himself/herself harassed others. Our results led us to question the simple perpetrator-victim model, as over half of these students reported both harassing and being harassed by their classmates. Considering the many theories posed to explain sexual harassment, we recommend a culturally based theory as most consistent with our results and most helpful for schools in designing appropriate responses. We provide several policy recommendations for secondary schools to address this important and widespread phenomenon.