Do schools normalise sexual harassment? An analysis of a legal case regarding sexual harassment in a Swedish high school

ABSTRACT

Sexual harassment has become so frequent and ubiquitous in schools that these behaviours have become normalised and expected. In order to prevent the re-enactment and perpetuation of this problem, it is important to explore processes that contribute to its existence. A high school sexual harassment lawsuit in Sweden is used as a case study to illustrate ways that might explain how sexual harassment is normalised at the organisational level. A thematic analysis has been used to identify themes and subthemes. The results show a multi-layered web of factors and practices related to sexual harassment at the organisational level in the school. In order to change a school’s culture from one where sexual harassment is normalised, multiple needs must be addressed: organisational weaknesses must be strengthened; adults enact their responsibility to change the situation; and awareness of the relationship between sexual harassment, gender, and power needs to be increased.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescence
• discrimination law
• gender safety
• gender-based violence
• gender regime
• organisational level

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Kate, who stood up for her rights and for the support from the officials at the Swedish Discrimination Ombudsman.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Katja Gillander Gådin is a Professor in Public Health at the Department of Health Sciences at Mid Sweden University, Sweden, and a theme leader of “Life course and gendered cultures” at the Forum for Gender Studies. She has a special interest in school health promotion and how a participatory approach can improve health as well as decrease the risk of sexual violence. She has a special research interest in sexual harassment in schools and uses both qualitative and quantitative data.

Dr. Nan Stein is a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women where her research focuses on gender violence in schools, including sexual harassment and teen dating violence. She has often served as an expert witness in Title IX/sex discrimination-sexual harassment lawsuits heard in U.S. Federal courts.