Swedish doctoral students’ perceptions of how power asymmetries and career gatekeeping influence the risk of sexual harassment

Power asymmetries and career gatekeeping have been highlighted in previous research as central factors for understanding why doctoral students are vulnerable to sexual harassment. However, there is a lack of up-to-date research addressing how power and career gatekeeping impact the perceived risk of sexual harassment among doctoral students in the Swedish context. The aim of the present study is to explore how the perceived risk of sexual harassment among doctoral students is affected by the distinctive power relations and career gatekeeping that are characteristic of the doctoral student position. The data comprise six focus groups that included a total of 18 doctoral students enrolled at a Swedish university. The results show that the established procedures for academic career advancement have a pervasive impact on the perceived risk of sexual harassment, with career gatekeeping playing a pivotal role as senior academics are perceived as gatekeepers in relation to career opportunities.