Women Faculty at Risk: U.S. Professors Report on their Experiences with Student Incivility, Bullying, Aggression, and Sexual Attention

In this study of a random sample of 524 professors (47% women, 83% White) from 100 colleges and universities across the United States, 91% reported at least one act of student incivility/bullying, 25% experienced at least one sexual behavior from a student, and 1–2% said a student had used or threatened them with violence in the past year. Women, minorities, younger faculty, and those with less experience and credentials reported more incivility/bullying from students. More women (63.3%) than men (50.2%) reported a serious incident of student incivility, bullying, aggression or sexual attention during their careers. Discussion includes recommendations for faculty and administrators concerning reporting, preventing, and handling such experiences.