The experiences of sexual harassment among czech and norwegian female sports students

Introduction

In both the Czech and the Norwegian society gender differences as an organizational principle permeate all spheres of the public life. But the way gender relations are played out in practice vary between countries and also within a country. There are both differences and similarities between the Norwegian and the Czech society concerning the gender order both in- and outside sport, which may have large consequences for the lives of female sport students. Concerning sexual harassment a new amendment to the Czech Employment Act was passed in July 2000 [1]. The new provisions make sexual harassment in the workplace illegal. In Norway such a law has existed for many years, but in June 2002 an amendment was passed to the Law for Equal Rights, which states that sexual harassment is forbidden. This law concerns not only the workplace, but all educational and voluntary organizations and institutions. With the above differences noted between the countries the main question asked in this study is: What are the types and the amount of sexual harassing behaviour experienced by female sport students in the Czech Republic and Norway?

Methods

The data presented are from a larger study concerning gender relations in sport. The sample consists of 200 Norwegian and 200 Czech sport students, representing different colleges and universities within their respective countries. The method of data gathering was the use of a questionnaire. Sexual harassment was measured through different questions based on a former Norwegian study [2]. Experiences from persons both within and outside sport were measured.

Results

The analyses show that there are some similarities, but also differences between the experiences of the female students in the two countries.

Discussion/Conclusions

The results are discussed both in relation to former studies in the area and in relation to the different situations in the two countries particularly with reference to the gender order in the respective societies.

References

[1]. Hejnova, P. (2000) Survey on the Status of Women Questionnaire. Czech Republic. Project of International Helsinki Federation. Gender Studies, o.p.s. Edited Version

[2]. Fasting, K. et al (2004) RQES,74,84-97