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Abstract: In October 2017, those who had experienced sexual harassment and assault commanded attention by posting their experiences with the hashtag "#metoo." This movement built off Turana Burke's advocacy efforts beginning in 2007, and these most were soon ubiquitous, with survivors sharing very personal and painful experiences. The ubiquity of these posts could have various impacts on those who read them, from empowerment to pain. In a recent study, we examine the health impacts of encountering the #metoo movement, particularly examining how outcomes vary based on the individual's experience with sexual harassment. We find differences by the gender of the respondent in both negative and positive health outcomes, depending on the respondent's experience with sexual harassment. Public health strategies for preventing sexual harassment are discussed.
Andrea Huseth-Zosel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public health at NDSU. Her research focuses on health disparities, including rural/urban and gender-based disparities, and health equity issues. Specific areas of interest include aging, injury prevention, and menstruation management and period poverty for adolescent females, in addition to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on educator health and well-being and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well being of older adults. She received her doctorate in Gerontology from NDSU.
Kjersten Nelson is an Associate Professor of Political Science at NDSU. Her research interests include the role of gender in American politics, as well as campaigns and elections and the courts. Most recently, her work has appeared in the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics and American Politics Research and, in 2020, her book, It's Not Personal: Politics and Policy in Lower Court Confirmation Hearings, was published (with Logan Dancey and Eve Ringsmuth). She earned her doctorate from the University of Minnesota
Mary Larson is an Associate professor in the Department of Public Health at NDSU. Her research focuses on health promotion and disease prevention with specific interests in studying the effects of policies, systems, environmental, and educational approaches to improving health care, public health, and human service professionals' efforts. In addition, Dr. Larson, like so many public health scholars, is studying COVID-19 topics including the incubation time frame of COVID-19 infections and the effectiveness of strategies to reduce vaccine hesitancy. Dr. Larson earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota and her doctorate from the University of North Dakota.
Megan Talcott is the Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy Coordinator at NDSU. She serves as the survivor advocate for students who have experienced power-based personal violence and coordinates implementation of campus violence awareness and prevention programming. Megan advises the Violence Prevention Educators and Enough peer education groups, and is the lead of the President's Council for Campus Well-being Sexual Assault Response Education workgroup. Prior to NDSU, she was the Director of Prevention Education at Hope Harbor Inc. in Bowling Green, KY.
Articles
Association of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault with Midlife Women's Mental and Physical Health
Sexual harassment and sexual assault are prevalent experiences among midlife women. Sexual harassment was associated with higher blood pressure and poorer sleep. Sexual assault was associated with poorer mental health and sleep. Efforts to improve women’s health should target sexual harassment and assault prevention.
Relationships Between Sexual Violence and Chronic Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study
Research has demonstrated that individuals who experience sexual assault during childhood are more likely to engage in risky behaviors later in life, such as smoking, alcohol and drug use, and disordered eating habits, which may increase the risk of developing a chronic disease. The purpose of this study is to identify associations between sexual violence and health risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and mental health conditions utilizing population based data in Kansas.
Sexual Harassment in Higher Education - A Systematic Review
Sexual harassment is an epidemic throughout global higher education systems and impact individuals, groups and entire organizations in profound ways. Precarious working conditions, hierarchical organizations, a normalization of gender-based violence, toxic academic masculinities, a culture of silence and a lack of active leadership are all key features enabling sexual harassment. The aim of this study is to review scientific knowledge on sexual harassment in higher education.
Workplace Harassment, Stress, and Drinking Behavior Over Time: Gender Differences in a National Sample
This two-wave study is the first to explore whether sexual harassment (SH) and generalized workplace harassment (GWH) predict increased drinking independently of the effects of job and life stress, and whether effects differ by gender, in a nationally representative sample. SH and GWH predicted increases in problem drinking one year later for men but not women, while life stress was associated with increased problem drinking for women but not men.
Reports
The Facts Behind the #metoo Movement: A National Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault
Sexual harassment and assault are widespread problems that cause pain, limit people’s lives, and impact communities and society. This 2018 report presents the findings of a nationally representative survey of approximately 1,000 women and 1,000 men, ages 18 and up; the UC San Diego Center on Gender Equity and Health conducted all data analyses.
Title IX and Sexual Harassment: Private Rights of Action, Administrative Enforcement, and Proposed Regulations
This report examines how federal courts have understood Title IX’s requirements in the context of private rights of actions brought by students directly against educational institutions seeking damages for sexual abuse or harassment. The report continues by examining how federal agencies have enforced Title IX, with particular focus on the Department of Educations’s guidance documents that direct schools on how to respond to sexual harassment and assault allegations. The report then considers various constitutional challenges brought by students against public universities.
Charges Alleging Sex-Based Harassment (Charges Filed With the EEOC) FY 2010 - FY 2020
Data tables regarding sex-based and sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Organizations
me too.
Home of the metoo movement, founded by Tarana Burke, to support survivors of sexual violence, particularly young women of color from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing.
1in6
Organization aimed to support men who have experienced unwanted sexual experiences as well as experienced sexual assault.
BEAM: Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
Through education, training, advocacy, and creative arts, BEAM aims to remove the barriers that Black people experience when trying to gain access to & stay connected with emotional health care and healing.
Know Your IX: Empowering Students to Stop Sexual Violence
Know Your IX provides information to students about their Title IX rights in regards to ending sexual violence on campus.
News
7 Positive Changes That Have Come From the #MeToo Movement