By Gloria Bandstra, AAUW-KC Member
AAUW’s latest research report, Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School, presents comprehensive new data on the prevalence of sexual harassment in grades 7–12 and its effect on students’ education. Please help us share this research with your community. Download the full report or order hard copies from the AAUW website: www.aauw.org/learn/research/crossingtheline.cfm.
Sexual harassment seems to be normal, everyday behavior in our schools—and it is something we must address! Why? Because it hasn’t stopped even though we have known about it for years. Remember AAUW’s 1993 Hostile Hallways survey? With that study, we gave the kind of spotlight that was supposed to stop harassment. Instead of our girls cowering by their lockers or acting as if the demeaning sexual remarks were no big deal, or swiftly deleting a sexual innuendo and then going about business as if nothing was wrong, we were hoping that by bringing the problem to the forefront we could eliminate sexual harassment and its effects.
When I read the report on Sexual Harassment at School, I was so discouraged. The problem is still here. And what was even more discouraging was that our girls AND their parents are not reporting these acts to the appropriate school personnel.
The survey conducted in May and June 2011 shows that some students try to shrug it off as being just a part of the school day, even though it has been proven that sexual harassment negatively affects girls. They have trouble sleeping, they don’t want to go to school or try to vary their route to and from school.
When I think about inspiring our girls to participate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), this problem seems to just pierce that balloon!
And what can we do as AAUW members? Please read the report and then start talking! One place to start is by talking to the girls in your personal circle — our granddaughters, our nieces, our neighbors, and don’t forget to talk to our boys. I hope we can start some activities in our local branch and join state leaders who are taking action. The full report has some suggestions to get this started.
It’s discouraging to think that women still earn only 74% of what men do. We were doing so well; then maybe we relaxed since it looked like we were making gains. Perhaps it was three steps forward, but then two and one more step backward. We must be vigilant. We must keep up that push. It would be nice to relax on the couch, but I’m making a personal resolve to join our girls in this battle of Crossing the Line. It is a big deal. Please join me in whatever way you can.