Sexual harassment: perceptions and coping strategies among undergraduate students in Nigeria

Abstract

This article reports on an investigation into the sexual harassment (SH) experiences, coping strategies and educational outcomes of undergraduate students from the University of Agriculture in south-western Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to 290 undergraduate students. Female students were found to be the main targets of harassment and male students the typical perpetrators. Students perceived sexual propositions and dating propositions accompanied by threats as constituting severe forms of SH. There was no association between sexual harassment and students’ satisfaction with the institution but the targets of harassment had a lower academic performance than non-harassed students.