International Journal of Gender & Women's Studies

Exploring Men and Women Students Experiences of Sexual Harassment: A Case Study of one Public University in Kenya
Juliet Njeri Muasya (PhD); Ruth W. Kahiga (PhD)

Abstract
Gender analysis deals with ways in which the lives, experiences, needs, interests, priorities and capacities of men and women are different. We did recognise that by presenting different experiences and constructs of men and women students, this could lead to a clearer exploration, explanation and understanding of the discourses of sexual harassment in a university culture. In the introduction and theoretical framework, the researchers present the rationale of involving men and women students in a study of sexual harassment. A detailed methodology showing how 30 (14 men and 16 women students) were sampled and their level of participation in the in-depth interviews is presented. Being a gender study, use of multiple discourses to analyse and present data helped the researchers to further understand the deeper meaning of men and women student’s direct experiences of sexual harassment. The researchers present and discuss five cases of sexual harassment, namely, peeping, sexually suggestive talk, attempted gang rape, sexually transmitted marks and non-verbal sexual intimidation. The findings concur with those of other researchers who noted that women tend to share more experiences of sexual harassment to women researchers as compared to men. It is important for researchers to involve men as active participants in gender studies, because they are more likely to understand challenges and experiences of women, thus be able to participate more effectively in prevention measures, strategies or programs.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijgws.v8n2a11