HANDLING GENDER AND

SEXUALITY CONCERNS
ON CAMPUS
Jay A. Yacat
Department of Psychology
University of the Philippines, Diliman
Objectives
 Discuss the nature of sexism and its many forms
 Identify sexist language and discuss ways on how
to avoid it
 Define anti-LGBT stigma and minority stress
 Clarify the different forms of sexual harassment
 Discuss roles of educators in addressing gender
and sexuality concerns
Why college teachers need
gender & sexuality awareness training
 Appropriate orientation of teachers on
gender and sexuality may contribute to:
 Student safety
 Physical and emotional health
 Diversity and equity
 Student engagement and academic success
(Meyer, 2010)
Gender and sexuality concerns on
campus
 Sexism and sexist language
 Violence against women
 Heterosexism and anti-LGBT stigma
 Sexual harassment
 A staff member complains that her male boss is
treating her differently than her male coworkers.
He gives her less work to do, but praises and
rewards her work more than her male coworkers‟
work. He also tells her to leave work earlier to be
with her family, and asks her to bring
refreshments for all meetings with clients and
help redecorate the office.
1. Was the boss being sexist?
 1 (not at all) to 7 (definitely)

2. Was the situation describe a form of prejudice

against the woman?
 1 (not at all) to 7 (definitely)

3. How serious do you think the problem is?

 1 (not serious) to 7 (very serious)
Sexism
 Any attitude, behavior or practice that creates or promote
unfair or irrelevant distinction between men and women and
results in gender discrimination or the marginalization of
either sex (Kintanar, n.d.)
 Negative discrimination against people based on their
assumed or presumed sexual identity.
Sexism
 also refers to simple hatred of men or women

 Male chauvinism
 any extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of men, especially
when the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards women.
 Reverse sexism
 women are superior to men
Forms of sexism against women
 Condescension: not taking women seriously, not listening
or paying attention to what they have to say; includes calling
women by diminutives such as “dear” o “darling” which
downgrade their dignity

 Hostility: making remarks that fluster or anger women;

putting down traditionally female characteristics such as
being nurturing or caring
Forms of sexism against women
 Backlashing: explicit reactions against feminism or
feminists; pressures women to conform to desired or
accepted roles

 Sexual innuendo: comments or snide remarks about

women‟s sexuality and sexual nature of inappropriate
times

 Denigrating women through humor: joking about

women‟s issues like sexual harassment, rape
Benevolent sexism: subtle form
 A knight-in-shining armor ideology that offers protection
and affection to women who conform to traditional gender
roles (e.g., cute girlfriend, obedient wife, etc.)

 High scores on benevolent sexism

 are not related to overt measures of hostility toward

women.

 blame a female victim for being raped after she invited a

man into her apartment (presumably because the
victim's behavior violated norms of female chastity).
Using sexist language
 Language that devalues members of one sex (usually women)
 Language that excludes women and renders them invisible
 Use of generic “men” to refer to all people
 Use of the singular masculine pronoun to refer to both men and women
 Language that perpetuates sex-role stereotyping
 Representing women or men as occupying only certain jobs or roles
 Trivializing women by using “girls,” “chicks”
Some reminders on using gender-fair
language
 Use the plural form or the first or second pronoun when
appropriate
 Identify men and women in the same way when it comes
to profession or employment
 Treat men and women in a parallel manner
Mini-Exercise
 FROM:
 Each member of the group must submit his own research notes
along with the group‟s final report.

 TO:
 All group members must submit their own research notes along with the
final report of the whole group.

 Please submit the research notes of each student in the group along with
the group’s final report.
Mini-Exercise
 FROM:
 In your report, you should include some consideration of how
your author‟s life experiences or beliefs have influenced his
writing.

 TO:
 In your report, you should include some consideration of how life
experiences or personal beliefs have influenced the writing of the author
you have chosen.
Violence against women
 One of the greatest threats to security and safety on campus
 Sexual assault:
 actual, attempted or threatened sexual contact without one‟s consent
 Relationship violence:
 abuse and violence in the context of an intimate, interpersonal
relationship
 Date rape
 Non-consensual sex with an acquaintance
 How frequent is sexual harassment:
 of students by staff/faculty?
 of students by other students?
 of staff by other staff
 of staff by students

 Do you have an anti-sexual harassment policy in your

school?

 Do you have a system of reporting sexual harassment in

your school?
 Anti-LGBT Stigma
Negative valuation of non-heterosexual
forms of relating, expressing, and living –
i.e., considering being LGBT as deviant,
immoral, or pathological (Herek, 2004)
Prejudice = negative attitudes
Discrimination = negative acts
• Institutional (policy, laws)
• Interpersonal (denial of services,
exclusion, disrespect, bullying,
making fun of, avoidance)
“Minority stress”
(Hatzenbuehler, 2009; Meyer, 1995, 2003)

 Being a part of a marginalized, second-

class group can be distressing for young
people.

1. Discrimination – excluding, treating LGBTs

unfairly, without dignity
2. Concealment pressure – presuming students are
all heterosexual, thus forcing them to either
come out or stay closeted
3. Internalized stigma – expressing opinions that
demean LGBT people, framing them as
„Other‟/immoral/ill
4. Hostile climate – classroom situations that make
LGBTs self-conscious, even afraid, and remind
them that they‟re different or not fully welcome
 In your school:
Run a “minority stress” checklist
Source Assessment

Discrimination Policies & practices concerning cross-dressing?

Harassment? Studying LGBT topics?

Concealment pressure Few/none openly LGBT students?

Few/none openly LGBT faculty?

Internalized stigma LGBT students & faculty who themselves

express regret, avoidance of LGBT issues

Hostile climate Faculty who say it’s wrong or improper? Lack of

courses and venues to discuss LGBT issues? No
LGBT-friendly books in your library?
Sexual harassment
 Republic Act 7877 defines sexual harassment in an education or
training environment as committed:
 Against one who is under the care, custody or supervision of the
offender
 Against one whose education, training, apprenticeship or tutorship
is entrusted to the offender
 When the sexual favor is made a condition to the giving of a
passing grade, or the granting of honors and scholarships, or the
payment of a stipend, allowance or other benefits, privileges or
considerations;
 When the sexual advances result in an intimidating, hostile or
offensive environment for the student, trainee or apprentice.
Types of SH
 Sexual bribery: the demanding of sexual favors in
exchange for educational or economic benefits (e.g.,
Kuwarto or Kuwatro?)

 Hostile or offensive environment: conduct of a sexual

nature which creates an “intimidating, hostile or offensive
environment for the student, trainee or apprentice”

 Verbal acts in the form of lewd remarks and sexist or dirty jokes
 Non-verbal acts such as the use of objects, pictures, videos and films
with explicit sexual content which is offensive to the viewer
Some reminders
 You have power over your students (grading, thesis
supervision and provision of references) and students
have a high regard for their teachers.

 Our responsibility to observe proper decorum and

maintain a professional relationship with students at all
times.

 This also holds true for relations between senior

faculty/junior faculty and faculty/staff.
Some reminders
 Students come from different backgrounds and thus have
varied perceptions of behavior.

 While there is nothing wrong with being friendly to

students, interactions that are perceived as informal
and personal may make some students feel
uncomfortable, confused or anxious about your
intentions.
Some reminders
 Refrain from discussing with students about their sexual
life, (unless it is part of class discussion in which case
duly inform the students about it) or giving unsolicited
advice on personal and intimate matters.
Some reminders
 Be supportive of students who seek help for personal
issues, however avoid taking on a counseling role.

 Refer them to the University Gender Office or the

University Office of Counseling and Guidance for
advice.
Some reminders
 Be aware that some students may not feel comfortable
with physical touching and the showing of nude
paintings/photographs.

 If these are necessary for teaching as in physical

education and art classes, duly inform the students
about it before the start of classes.
Some reminders
 Let your students know about your boundaries for
interactions with them. If a student/staff crosses a
boundary, let them know right away to avoid
misunderstanding.
Promoting a more gender inclusive
classroom environment
 Give male and female students equal attention in
advising and mentoring.

 Give female and male students equal attention and

equally specific feedback.

 Revise syllabus if necessary to include female

experiences, and to include them in more than just
stereotypical ways.
Promoting a more gender inclusive
classroom environment
 Avoid sexist language in classroom discussions, lectures,
and in written materials that you distribute to the class.

 Do not ask female students to perform activities you

would not request of male students or vice versa.
Sources
Meyer, E. (2010). Transforming School Cultures. Gender and Sexual
Diversity in Schools: Explorations of Educational Purpose, 10(2); 121-
139.
Meyer, I.H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay
men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36; 38-56.
Meyer, I.H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress and mental health in
lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and
research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129; 674-697.
Hatzenbuehler, M. (2009). How does sexual minority stigma "get
under the skin"? A psychological mediation framework.
Psychological Bulletin, 135 (5); 707-730.