Preventing and Responding to Gender Based Violence in Higher Education Institutions‌

Recently there has been considerable attention paid to universities’ response to gender based violence, and so called ‘lad culture’ (NUS & University of Sussex, 2012; Phipps & Young, 2015) on campus. This has included academic work on gender based violence in universities, as well as increasing political attention from elected representatives and student bodies. Most universities are putting specific policy and practice in place to addresses it. Recent research by the NUS (2011) highlighted the high rates at which women students experience gender based violence, with 1 in 7 students experiencing serious physical or sexual assault during their time as a student. The study also found lower perceptions of safety among women students, 12% had been subjected to stalking, and over two thirds had experienced some kind of verbal or non-verbal harassment in or around their institution, which included groping, flashing and unwanted sexual comments. Further, 1 in 3 (35%) women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2016) therefore many students may have experienced gender based violence before coming to university, or during their period of study.

Universities have obligations under both the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Human Rights Act to respond to gender based violence (EVAW, 2015). As such GCU has an ongoing programme of work around gender based violence, which is in line with the ‘Common Good’ ethos of GCU in that it seeks to eradicate and challenge key aspects of gender inequality, access to higher education, and support for students and staff. This PhD studentship will be allied to, and support, this ongoing comprehensive programme of work.

The successful applicant will, in consultation with the supervisory team, help shape the PhD to fit with the programme of work, the applicant’s interests and disciplinary background. The research may include quantitative or qualitative approaches, or both. We anticipate the PhD may explore one/some of the following, but it is not limited to these: experiences of gender based violence; attitudes towards gender based violence; support services and needs; institutional responses; relationships with other bodies; or develop and evaluate interventions for gender based violence in higher education settings.