According to research by The American Association of University Women, girls and young women experiencing unwelcome sexual advances or a hostile school environment are likely subject to the same types of impacts and adverse outcomes as adults in the workplace.

The UofM Center for Research on Women (CROW) and the Memphis Area Women's Council (MAWC) have teamed up to investigate the extent and impact of the problem in Memphis.

A small pilot study conducted in the Spring of 2007 by Girls for Change, a program for young women ages 13 to 17 developed by MAWC, CROW, and the University of Memphis Women’s Studies program, indicated that the problem of sexual harassment in schools was indeed prevalent in this community.

To explore this problem and the potential connection between harassment and early sexual initiation, CROW and MAWC are conducting a multi-year initiative.

Phase I:   Understand the experiences of sexual harassment among middle and high schools girls in Memphis area public and private school systems, as well as the impact of these experiences on their academic and personal development. 

In 2008, with funding support from The Urban Child Institute and The University of Memphis Faculty Grants Program, Phase I of the project was begun.  Nearly 600 students were surveyed to help researchers better understand the experiences of sexual harassment among middle and high schools students in Memphis area public and private school systems, as well as the impact of these experiences on their academic and personal development.  Study results were published in April 2009. (Download complete report here.)

Phase II: Using data from Phase I, create an intervention program that will empower girls to effect change related to the conditions surrounding sexual harassment in their school environments.

Phase III: Develop policy and advocacy tools for use by the young women in Girls for Change who will approach school administrators and school boards to seek change in this domain, including enacting better sexual harassment policies in the schools and implementing the peer education program.

For more information on this project contact Dr. Lynda Sagrestano at 678-2770.