Sexual Harassment and Athletics: Legal and Policy Implications for Athletic Departments

Masteralexis, Lisa Pike

doi:10.1177/019372395019002003

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These findings indicate that sport is not an unequivocally safe place for athletes, whether male or female. Interestingly, although there is evidence that male athletes are over-represented as perpetrators of sexual assaults on campus (Crosset, Benedict, & McDonald, 1995;Pike Masteralexis, 1995), no studies to date have examined links between male athletic status and risk of sexual victimization.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation in college sports and protection from sexual victimization

Fasting

Brackenridge

Miller

et al. 2008

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some sport sociologists have argued that sport is a male-dominated institution and sexist culture in which female athletes experience various forms of discrimination, including sexual victimization from coaches and male athletes. Previous research does indicate that female athletes suffer higher rates of sexual victimization from authority figures in sport than their non-athletic counterparts in education and the workplace, although many studies fail to differentiate adequately between sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and other descriptions that imply variations in the severity of victimization. Researchers have also speculated that athletic participation can protect female athletes from sexual victimization through a variety of social-psychological mechanisms such as team membership, physical strength, and self-confidence. This paper reports on the first descriptive analysis to test the "sport protection hypothesis" among both female and male athletes, using cross-tabulation secondary analyses of data from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, conducted in 1995 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (N = 4,814). United States college students of traditional undergraduate age (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) were included in the sample (N = 2,903). Limited support for the protection hypothesis was found. Student athletes were significantly less likely to report sexual victimization during their late high school and early college years than their non-athletic counterparts. A gender gap in the pattern of reported sexual victimization also appeared between males and females across all student age groups, with females reporting more sexual victimization than males. However, no significant gender gap was found among athletes. The results are discussed in relation to student gender, athletic status, and concomitant health benefits and also to debates about agency and resilience among athletes.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation in college sports and protection from sexual victimization

Fasting

Brackenridge

Miller

et al. 2008

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Monitoring of coaches could be implemented and procedures for dealing with allegations formulated, as they now have been in some other countries like the Netherlands (Cense, 1997), Canada (McGregor, 1998 and Australia (Australian Sports Commission, 1998). Communication of policies would be likely to increase knowledge and awareness amongst athletes and coaches (Masteralexis, 1995) and thus to raise both the level of resistance to abuse and individuals' readiness to report incidents of athlete abuse. Although the advantages of such actions are clear, sporting organisations have been slow to respond.…”

Section: Child Protection In Sportmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical evaluation of training needs for child protection in UK sport

Malkin¹,

Johnston²,

Brackenridge³

2000

Managing Leisure

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryChild protection is a relatively new topic in sport about which there was no professional education until the mid-1990s. This paper presents the findings from a study of delegates attending twelve, regional, one-day National Coaching Foundation courses for policy makers in sport during 1997 and 1998 (n= 235). The course was designed to give delegates a basic awareness of the different forms of child abuse and protection and was intended to help them develop appropriate policies and procedures for child protection. Results point to a serious training gap around child protection in sport: whereas sports personnel, at both junior and senior levels, are committed to improving child protection policy and practice they appear to lack the confidence, knowledge or organisational systems for doing this effectively.2

show abstract

“…Sexual harassment has been prevalent within our society and within our institutions, including American educational institutions and sports departments (Masteralexis, 1995;. The vast majority of victims of sexual harassment are women.…”

Section: Victims Of Sexual Harassmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of NIRSA Employees Relating to the Presence of Sexual Harassment and Related Offensive Behavior (Quid Pro Quo) within College Recreation Department Workplaces

Stier

Schneider

Kampf

et al. 2013

Recreational Sports Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article summarizes the responses of NIRSA employees in terms of their perceptions of specific unwanted sexual harassment activities and behavior and the extent to which a quid pro quo (sex for favors) environment or situation exists within their respective work places. This is the second part of a four-part North American investigation of College Recreation Departments Workplaces on the subject of sexual harassment in the workplace. Examination and comparison of the data were made in terms of a) whether such behavior takes place, b) the types (examples) of sexual behaviors deemed to be part of quid pro quo expectations of sexual favors, as well as c) the frequencies of such behavior. Analysis of the data was based on the respondent's gender, gender of their supervisor, and marital status. The study revealed that sexual harassments conduct in terms of quid pro quo behavior was not thought to exist in any meaningful manner in the college recreational programs as perceived by those individuals employed (in a variety of positions and areas of responsibilities) within such departments.

show abstract

Sexual Harassment and Athletics: Legal and Policy Implications for Athletic Departments

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

Participation in college sports and protection from sexual victimization

Participation in college sports and protection from sexual victimization

A critical evaluation of training needs for child protection in UK sport

Perceptions of NIRSA Employees Relating to the Presence of Sexual Harassment and Related Offensive Behavior (Quid Pro Quo) within College Recreation Department Workplaces

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About