The sexual harassment of female university students as an abuse and an exercise of power in universities

Background: The Sexual harassment of female students by their instructors has long been identified as a significant social problem in universities. While a significant body of research has linked the vice to power, much less research has examined how this power operates. Objective: This study sought to examine the sexual harassment experiences of female undergraduate students at a large public University in East Africa. Anchored in the socio-cultural and organizational theories of sexual harassment, the study paid particular attention to how workplace and gendered power facilitate the sexual harassment of female students. Methods: The study was purely qualitative and was guided by the case study design. The data was collected by the use of individual interviews. A total of 42 participants took part in the study and the data was analyzed thematically. Findings: The findings indicated that a lot of the harassment is of a quid pro quo nature and that the sexuality of female students has been commoditized as something that can be exchanged for academic favours. The findings further indicated that the sexual harassment experienced by students is related to power in multi layered ways and that the very context of higher education provides fertile ground for the vice to thrive as the everyday activities that are synonymous in teacher learner relationships provide opportunities for behavioral deviance and power abuse. Conclusion: The sexual harassment of female students is driven by both formal and informal power hierarchies.