Women Faculty Distressed: Descriptions and Consequences of Academic Contrapower Harassment

Abstract

Academic contrapower harassment (ACPH) occurs when someone with seemingly less power in an educational setting (e.g., a student) harasses someone more powerful (e.g., a professor). A representative sample of 289 professors from U.S. institutions of higher education described their worst incident with ACPH. Open-ended responses were coded using a keyword text analysis. Compared to the experiences of men faculty, women faculty reported that students were more likely to challenge their authority, argue or refuse to follow course policies, and exhibit disrespectful or disruptive behaviors. Although sexual harassment was uncommon, men faculty were more likely than women faculty to recount such incidents. Women faculty reported significantly more negative outcomes as a result of ACPH (e.g., anxiety, stress-related illness, difficulty concentrating, wanting to quit) than men faculty, and negative outcomes were most likely to result from ACPH involving intimidation, threats, or bullying from students. Implications for the prevention and reporting of ACPH are discussed.

Is it Resolved? One Story of Academic Contrapower Harassment and Cyberbullying

“…While I hope professors' mental health is a sufficient reason to put ACPH on any university's or college's radar, another impact of such behaviour is the compromised functioning of the institution itself. Given documented stress arising from ACPH, including a reported desire to leave their jobs (Lampman, Phelps, Bancroft, & Beneke, 2009;Lampman et al, 2016), faculty's job-related outcomes are negatively affected (DeSouza, 2011). This was certainly true in my case.…”

“…Student-on-faculty harassment is a form "academic contrapower harassment" (ACPH), which "occurs when someone with seemingly less power in an educational setting [e.g., a student] harasses someone more powerful [e.g., a professor]" (Lampman, Crew, Lowery, & Tompkins, 2016, p. 169). Studies demonstrate that faculty members across genders are harassed by students, through a variety of means, and for a variety of reasons (Blizard, 2016;Lampman, 2012;Lampman et al, 2016;MacLennan, 2002). For example, Blizard's (2016) study of one Canadian university found that student-on-faculty cyberbullying mainly, but not exclusively, stems from students' dissatisfaction with their grades.…”

“…I am a tenured faculty member and a woman. As research demonstrates, gender, race, ethnicity, age, and university rank inform student-on-faculty harassment (see Lampman et al, 2016). To maintain my anonymity, I do not comment at length on how these aspects of my social positionality shaped my experience, and I have kept certain details intentionally vague.…”

Work Stress and Comfort in University Faculty: Do Gender and Academic Field Matter?

“…A second issue may be expectations to take on extra, undervalued responsibilities aligned with traditional feminine roles, such as advising and service (Eagan & Garvey, 2015; Hart & Cress, 2008; Roos & Gatta, 2009). A third issue is that students often expect female faculty to be more nurturing and may penalize those who are not (Hart & Cress, 2008; Lampman et al, 2016; Lester, 2011). These factors could all contribute to a stressful work life for female faculty and underscore the need to consider multiple dimensions of stress.…”

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“…Harrass/Ingore/Insult/Assume to be Incompetent 10 Studies (e.g., DeSouza, 2011; Epps, 2016) 12 Studies (e.g., Knepp, 2012;Lampman, 2012) 10 Studies (e.g., Lampman et al, 2016;May & Tenzek, 2018) 14…”