Sexual Harassment in Pakistani Academia: Sociocultural Construction of Experience

Sexual harassment (SH) is a widespread issue across the globe and an everyday crisis for working women. This paper draws on fourteen semi-structured interviews with heads of departments, deans, and directors of institutions/schools in higher education institutions (HEIs) to gain insights into the sociocultural contextualization of narratives to gender-based violence and harassment. The analysis suggests that the most significant explanation of SH in HEIs is the acceptance of its inevitability in public spaces and workplaces, including HEIs, though often accompanied by assertions of higher prevalence in other departments or institutions. Women, often positioned as gatekeepers of men's sexual advances, frequently endure victim-blaming. Furthermore, the persistence of SH in HEIs is attributed to the ineffective implementation and utilization of harassment laws.