Commentaries
Hostile Hallways:
The AAUW Survey on Sexual Harassment in America’s Schools
Anne L. Bryant
I n 1988, the Board of Directors for the American
Association of University Women (AAUW) Educa-
tional Foundation launched a 10-year research program
to examine the effect of school climate on girls. The first
two publications derived from the project - Short-
changing Girls, Shortchanging America (1991), and
The AAUW Report: How Schools Shortchange Girls
(1992) - documented the particularly damaging effects
of schooling on the self-esteem of girls, and uncovered
troubling evidence confirming widespread prevalence of
sexual harassment in schools. Thus, the AAUW Educa-
tional Foundation funded a project to examine the
nature and extent of sexual harassment in schools. Find-
ings from the study were released in June 1993 as Hostile
Hallways: The AAUWSurvey on Sexual Harassment in
America’s Schools. This paper highlights key findings
from the report.
BACKGROUND
The AAUW commissioned Louis Harris and Associ-
ates to conduct a nationwide survey of sexual harass-
ment in America’s schools. The survey instrument asked
students about school-related sexual harassment occur-
ring during school-related times such as traveling to and
from school, in classrooms and hallways, on school
grounds during the day and after school, and on school
trips. Sexual harassment was defined as unwanted and
unwelcomed sexual behavior that interfered with the
student’s life. Sexual harassment was clearly differenti-
ated from behavior the student might like or want such
as kissing, touching, or flirting.
The questionnaire sought student responses regard-
ing 14 forms of sexual harassment: 1) made sexual com-
ments, jokes, gestures, or looks; 2) showed, gave, or
left you sexual pictures, photographs, illustrations, mes-
sages, or notes; 3) wrote sexual messagedgraffiti about
you on bathroom walls, in locker rooms, etc.; 4) spread
sexual rumors about you; 5 ) said you were gay or les-
bian; 6) spied on you as you dressed or showered at
school; 7) flashed or “mooned” you; 8) touched, grab-
bed, or pinched you in a sexual way; 9) pulled at your
clothing in a sexual way; 10) intentionally brushed
against you in a sexual way; 11) pulled your clothing off
Anne L. Bryant, EdD, Executive Director, American Association of
University Women Educational Foundation, I l l 1 16th St., NW,
Washington, DC 20036-4873. Hostile Hallways: The A A U W Survey
on Sexual Harassment in America’s Schools is available through the
AAUW Sales Office, 800/225-9998 ext. 261.
Journal of School Health
or down; 12) blocked your way or cornered you in a
sexual way; 13) forced you to kiss him or her; 4) forced
you to do something sexual, other than kissing.
The survey was conducted in February and March
1993. Questionnaires were completed by 1,632 public
school students in grades 8-11, drawn from 79 schools
across the continental United States. The survey proto-
col, which incorporated a stratified two-stage sampling
design, contained representative samples for Hispanic,
White, and African-American students. Anonymity was
promoted by allowing students to place their completed
questionnaires in individual, sealed envelopes. Teachers
were asked to leave, or to remain at the front of the
classroom during data collection.
SURVEY FINDINGS
Overall, the survey determined that 81Yo of the stu-
dents (girls 85%, boys 76%) had been sexually harassed.
While the survey findings can be reported and inter-
preted in numerous formats, this paper reports findings
in the three categories of boys, girls, and members of
minority groups.
Boys
Some 76% of boys experienced sexual harassment at
least once in their school life: 56% were the target of
sexual comments, jokes, gestures, or looks; 42% were
touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way; and 9%
were forced to do something other than kissing. Like-
wise, 24% of boys were harassed in a locker room; 14%
were harassed in restrooms, compared with 7% of girls.
Interestingly, boys most often were harassed by
girls. Some 57% of boys were harassed by one girl
acting alone, and 35% were harassed by a group of
girls. In addition, 25% were harassed by another boy,
and 10% by a teacher or other school employee.
While boys who were harassed were less likely than
girls to stop attending school or participating in school
activities, 13% did not talk in class as much because of
the harassment, 13% had more difficulty paying atten-
tion, and 12% did not want to go to school. Likewise,
sexual harassment caused emotional problems for some
boys: 36% felt embarrassed by the experience; 14% felt
less sure and less confident; and 21% felt more self-
conscious at school. Some 27% of boys told no one, not
even a friend, about the incident.
Girls
Some 85% of all girls reported being sexually haras-
October 1993, Vol. 63, No. 8 355
sed, and 66% were harassed “often” or “occasionally.”
They reported both physical and nonphysical forms of
harassment: 76% were targets for sexual comments,
jokes, gestures, or looks; 65% were touched, pinched,
or grabbed in a sexual way; and 13% were forced to do
something sexual other than kissing.
Compared with boys, girls more often were sexually
harassed in public places. Some 73% were harassed in
hallways, and 65% were harrassed in classrooms. In a
particularly disturbing finding, 25% identified the
harasser as a teacher or other school employee.
The harassment produced a profoundly negative
Figure 1
A Sample School Policy on Sexual Harassment
I. Policy
A. It is the policy of the Public
Schools to maintain a learning and working
environment free from sexual harassment. No
employee or student of the district shall be
subjected to sexual harassment.
B. It shall be a violation of this policy for any member
of the Public Schools staff to
harass another staff member or student through
conduct or communications of a sexual nature as
defined in Section 11. It also shall be a violation of
this policy for students to harass other students or
staff through conduct or communications of a
sexual nature as defined in Section II.
C. Each administrator shall be responsible for pro-
moting understanding and acceptance of, and
assuring compliance with, state and federal laws
and board policy and procedures governing
sexual harassment within her or his school or
office.
D. Violations of this policy or procedure will be cause
for disciplinary action.
II. Definition
A. Sexual harassment means unwelcome sexual ad-
vances, requests of sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
when:
1. submission to such conduct is made either
explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of a per-
son’s employment or advancement, or of a stu-
dent’s participation in school programs or activi-
ties; or
2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an
employee or student is used as the basis for
decisions affecting the employee or student; or
3. such conduct has the purpose or effect of unrea-
sonably interfering with an employee’s perform-
ance, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or
offensive work or learning environment.
B. Sexual harassment as set forth in Section Il-A may
include, but is not limited to:
1. verbal harassment or abuse;
2. pressure for sexual activity;
3. repeated remarks with sexual or demeaning
implications;
~~
356 Journal of School Health October 1993, Vol. 63, No. 8
effect on the girls’ academic life: 33% did not want to
attend school because of the harassment; 32% did not
want to talk as much in class; 28% found it more dif-
ficult to pay attention in class; 23% received lower
grades on papers and tests; and 20% received a lower
grade in class. The experience also significantly affected
the girls’ emotions and feelings about themselves: 70%
reported feeling upset; 52% felt self-conscious; 43% felt
less confident; and 25% felt confused about who they
are.
Even when personal sacrifice was required, the girls
tried to avoid a repeat of the harassment: 69% tried to
4. unwelcome touching;
5. sexual jokes, posters, etc.;
6. suggesting or demanding sexual involvement,
accompanied by implied or explicit threats con-
cerning one’s grades, job, etc.
111. Procedures
A. Any person who alleges sexual harassment by a
staff member or student in the school district may
use the procedure detailed in the
School District Grievance Procedure or may com-
plain directly to his or her immediate supervisor,
building principal, or district Title IX coordinator.
Filing a grievance or otherwise reporting sexual
harassment will not reflect on the individual’s
status, nor will it affect future employment,
grades, or work assignments.
B. The right to confidentiality, for both the accuser
and the accused, will be respected consistent
with the school district’s legal obligations and
with the necessity to investigate allegations of
misconduct and to take corrective action when
this conduct has occurred.
IV. Sections
A. A substantiaed charge against a staff member in
the school district shall subject that staff member
to disciplinary action, up to and including dis-
charge.
B. A substantiated charge against a student in the
school district shall subject that student to disci-
plinary action, which may include suspension or
expulsion, consistent with the student discipline
code.
V. Notification
Notice of this policy shall be circulated to all schools
and departments of the Public Schools
and incorporated in teacher and student handbooks.
Training sessions on this policy and the prevention of
sexual harassment shall be held for teachers and
students in all schools on an annual basis.
SOUrCeS: Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC). Minnesota
Oept. of Education, St. Paul, Minn.; and Programs for Educational
Opportunity (PEO), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
avoid the harasser while at school; 34% avoided a par-
ticular area of the school or school grounds; 31%
moved to a different seat in class; 17% gave up attend-
ing a particular sport or activity; and 14% changed their
routes to school or even their groups of friends.
Overall, 52% of all girls surveyed admitted to sexu-
ally harassing someone in their school life. Interestingly,
of those girls who admitted to sexually harassing some-
one at school, 98% had themselves been sexually haras-
sed.
Minority Groups
Substantial numbers of African-American and His-
panic youth reported experiencing sexual harassment:
84% of African-American girls; 8 1070 of African-Ameri-
can boys; 82% of Hispanic girls; and 69% of Hispanic
boys. African-American girls (33%) were more likely to
be harassed by a school adult than were White (25%) or
Hispanic (17%) girls.
Sexual harassment proved particularly harmful to
the minority students’ educational experience, especially
for African-American girls. Some 39% of African-
American students did not want to attend school, com-
pared with 33Vo of White students and 29% of Hispanic
students. African-American (42%) and Hispanic (35%)
girls also were more likely than White girls (30%) to not
want to talk in class following the incident. A larger per-
centage of African-American girls (28 9’0) reported re-
ceiving lower grades on a test or paper following the
harassment than did Hispanic (23Vo) or White (22%)
girls. Because of the experience, almost 9% of African-
American girls wondered if they have what it takes to
graduate from high school.
Compared with White students, African-American
students were more likely to experience physical forms
of sexual harassment. In all seven categories of physical
harassment, African-American boys reported higher
rates of harassment than did White boys or Hispanic
boys. Likewise, African-American girls experienced
higher rates of harassment than did White girls or
Hispanic girls. Some 68% of African-American girls
were touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way.
African-American girls (64070)and boys (49%) more
often were intentionally brushed up against in a sexual
way, compared with White girls (58%) and boys (34%),
and Hispanic girls (49%) and boys (29%). Some 48% of
African-American girls were blocked or cornered in a
sexual way, and almost 19% of African-American boys
were forced to do something sexual other than kissing.
Minority students also experienced substantial emo-
tional and behavioral effects from the sexual harass-
ment. Many of the African-American (38%), Hispanic
(33%), and White (27%) girls doubted whether they
could develop a happy romantic relationship. Hispanic
students, more than White students or African-Ameri-
can students, felt confused about who they are because
of the harassment. African-American (25%) and His-
panic (2OVo) girls were more likely than White girls
(12%) to change the way they come to or go home from
school because of the incident. Hispanic (27%) and
African-American (22%) girls also were more likely
than White girls (16%) to give up a sport or other
activity due to the harassment.
Journal of School Health
KEY FINDINGS
In addition to the preceding information, some key
findings were found from the students surveyed.
1. Sexual harassment at school begins early with
32To of students harassed by grade six or lower, and a
shocking 6% before grade three.
2. Sexual harassment usually occurs openly in class-
rooms and hallways, rather than in secluded areas of the
school.
3. Students usually harass other students, but 18%
of students were harassed by school employees.
4. Students do not routinely tell adults about sexual
harassment. Only 7% told a teacher, 23% told a parent
or family member, and 23% told no one.
5. Students (59%) admit to being the perpetrators
of sexual harassment in school.
6. Students considered being called gay or lesbian
the worst form of sexual harassment.
7. African-American boys were most likely to receive
physical harassment.
8. Girls of all races experienced more sexual harass-
ment than did boys.
9. Girls were nearly five times as likely as boys to be
afraid at school following sexual harassment.
10. Girls were three times as likely as boys to feel less
confident about themselves following sexual harass-
ment.
CONCLUSION
Results from the survey paint a disturbing picture of
widespread sexual harassment at school - in hallways,
classrooms, and beyond - with both boys and girls be-
ing targeted by their peers as well as adults. Completing
an education presents a difficult enough challenge for
most students without the added burden of contending
with sexual harassment. The information reported here
presents an undeniable mandate: parents, teachers, and
administrators must acknowledge that sexual harass-
ment creates a hostile environment that compromises
our children’s education.
As with past research from the AAUW Educational
Foundation, results from this survey will become a focal
point on the agendas of policymakers, educators, and
other concerned with the education of our children.
While the survey established the widespread nature of
sexual harassment, important questions remain un-
answered. When such behavior is shrugged off as per-
missible because it is widespread, and because “boys
will be boys,” do we unwittingly set the stage for
abusive behavior later on? Do students harass because
they themselves are harassed?
Sexual harassment clearly and measurably takes a
toll on a substantial percentage of students’ education-
al, emotional, and behavioral lives. Though girls experi-
ence more harassment - and suffer graver conse-
quences - sexual harassment ultimately becomes every-
one’s problem. As a minimum, schools must develop
sexual harassment policies that are clearly communi-
cated and routinely enforced, especially since 57% of
students surveyed did not know whether their school
had a sexual harassment policy (Figure 1). When our
children’s self-esteem and development are hampered,
the repercussions echo throughout our society.
October 1993, Vol. 63,No. 8 357