Exploring the links between slang and sexual and gender-based violence among university students in a Canadian city

ABSTRACT

Despite decades of research and education, sexual and gender-based violence remain distressingly prevalent on university and college campuses globally. The taboos associated with sex, gender inequity, and living in a patriarchal world where misogyny is glorified and criminalised are key socio-cultural determinants driving these forms of violence. Less is known about the ways in which sexual slang or terminology impact how students experience and talk about these events. This paper reports on findings from a participatory action study that explored sexual slang use among female and male undergraduate students (n = 23) with the aim of creating more responsive sexual and gender-based violence policies and practices. The terms identified (n = 59) provide a window into the daily lives of these young people, who display remarkable socio-linguistic adaptation and creativity. They also demonstrate how cultural appropriation, the exclusion of queer students, toxic masculinitycontribute to ongoing incidents of sexual and gender-based violence on campus. These findings contribute new insights into sexual terminology among post-secondary students, particularly in the Canadian context where few studies of this nature exist. They also acknowledge the critical role universities can play in making meaningful structural change to prevent traumatic events from occurring.

KEYWORDS:

• Slang
• university students
• toxic masculinity
• sexual and gender-based violence
• campus culture

Acknowledgments

We thank students in the 2018 Sexuality, Gender & Health class for their courage and desire to make a difference in the way we talk about sexuality, gender, race and violence on campus. Big thanks go to student researchers April Citter, Jonathan Gillmore, Leah Marsot-Shiffman, Yelena Rogan, Leili Sinai and Priya Vaidyanathan. We also appreciate Jennifer Vale’s expert transcription and Mikaela Middel’s assistance with the literature review. Thanks also to Jennifer Massey for her on-going encouragement.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was awarded a grant through Western University's internal funding opportunities, specifically the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (#46193).