Barriers to Sexual Harassment Bystander Intervention in Ecuadorian Universities



Lyons, Minna, Brewer, Gayle ORCID: 0000-0003-0690-4548, Castro, Jorge, Andrade, Mabel, Morales, Marcela and Centifanti, Luna ORCID: 0000-0003-4562-8187
(2021) Barriers to Sexual Harassment Bystander Intervention in Ecuadorian Universities. Global Public Health, 17 (6). pp. 1029-1040.

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Abstract

Previous research, mainly in the United States, has identified several barriers to acting as a bystander in sexual harassment at university campuses. Despite the high frequency of harassment in Latin America, there is a dearth of studies investigating barriers to bystander behaviour in this context. In this pilot study, we report findings exploring harassment and bystander behaviour in university staff and students in Ecuador, a Latin American country characterised by masculine social norms and high levels of gender-based harassment. In an on-line survey, 129 staff and students from universities in different regions of Ecuador answered questions about perceptions of seriousness of harassment, rape myth acceptance, actual incidences of being a perpetrator, victim, or a bystander, and the likelihood and difficulties of bystander action. Women and those who scored higher in rape myth acceptance reported more intervention difficulties. In addition, women and those who had previously perpetrated harassment rated their likelihood of intervening lower. Finally, perceptions of harassment as a serious problem in campuses related to a higher likelihood of intervening as a bystander. We discuss the results in terms of practical applications in devising culturally appropriate bystander intervention workshops.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Sexual harassment, bystander intervention barriers, rape myth acceptance, Ecuador, Latin America
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 29 Jan 2021 10:25
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 23:01
DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2021.1884278
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3114953