GENDERACTIONplus Position Paper 5: Gender-based Violence in the ERA: An Endemic Problem in Need of a New Cure

Nearly two in three (62%) of the over 42,000 respondents in the UniSAFE survey on gender-based violence in research organisations stated that they had experienced at least one form of gender-based violence within their institution (including psychological, physical, sexual, economic, and online forms). Respondents from minority groups reported even higher rates of gender-based violence (UniSAFE 2022). These findings have been confirmed in other studies in EU national contexts (HEA 2021; Rudolfsson et al 2022) as well as in research (Bondestam & Lundqvist 2020). Gender-based violence has severe consequences for individuals, including stress, depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, lack of motivation, an increased tendency to interrupt studies or leave work, and deteriorating mental and physical health, and it also impedes participation and affects perceptions of safety in the study and work environment in general (McDonald 2012; Selkie et al 2015).