National survey on sexual harassment is sent to students
Halmstad University is one of the participating universities in a unique national research study that deals with sexual harassment and gender-based vulnerability in the Swedish higher education sector. You can be one of the selected students offered to participate in the study.
Starting next week, 125,000 randomly selected students and employees at 38 of the country's higher education institutions will receive a questionnaire to their e-mail with questions about experiences of sexual harassment.
”It is a very live and important question. By taking part in this national study, students can contribute to the development of preventive work aiming at stopping sexual harassment and gender-based vulnerability from occurring at all. The study is very important for you as a student as it enables both Halmstad Student Union and Halmstad University to get a good foundation to take their own measures. Therefore we hope that the students who receive the survey respond to it”, says Timmie Hansson, President of Halmstad Student Union.
Web-based questionnaire
The web-based questionnaire is sent out by SCB and will be available in Swedish and English in three different versions for three different groups: students, doctoral students and staff. The survey asks for experiences of being exposed yourself, knowledge of others who have been exposed and experiences of exposing others to sexual harassment. In addition, questions are asked about gender-based vulnerability beyond sexual harassment and how it relates to health and psychosocial work environment.
Will be sent out next week
The questionnaire will be sent next week (week 17) and is open until week 24. This autumn, the higher education institutions will have access to data via SCB. The results are planned to be presented next year. In the long run, the hope is that the study will lead to intensified work against sexual harassment and gender-based vulnerability in the sector. In addition, it is hoped that the study will also lead to further research in the field.
Background
After #metoo – a national research and collaboration programme, The Research and Collaboration Programme on Gender-based Violence, was launched with a focus on how the Swedish higher education sector can jointly improve the work and study environment at the country's higher education institutions. The program was established on the initiative of Karolinska Institutet, KTH, Malmö University and the National Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg, but is based on collaboration between higher education institutions in Sweden.
The Research and Collaboration Programme on Gender-based Violence aims to create a common platform for the work against sexual harassment and gender-based vulnerability in academia, through mainly three activities:
- A national research study of the prevalence, causes and consequences of sexual harassment and gender-based vulnerability in the entire Swedish higher education sector.
- Development of new research-based knowledge about sexual harassment and gender-based vulnerability within the academy's various contexts.
- The design of common platforms, arenas and networks for both research collaborations and the possibility of joint improvement work.
