Study By The College of New Rochelle Professor Finds Students Abroad Unprepared For Public Harassment

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Professor Roblyn Rawlins

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (05/22/2012)(readMedia)-- A new study on the degree American women college students are harassed in public overseas has just been published by the College of New Rochelle Professor Dr. Roblyn Rawlins in Women's Studies: An interdisciplinary journal. The article by Dr. Rawlins, who is an Associate Professor of Sociology, is entitled, "'Whether I'm an American or Not, I'm Not Here So You Can Hit on Me: Public Harassment in the Experience of U.S. Women Studying Abroad."

After conducting in-depth interviews with eighteen diverse undergraduate women who had studied abroad in 2006 or 2010, Dr. Rawlins found that, "Almost all of the young women I interviewed struggled with experiences of public harassment, most of which involved being catcalled or receiving unsolicited evaluative or sexual comments from men in public, although a few reported being touched, having objects thrown at them, or being trailed or followed home by a strange man." According to Dr. Rawlins, "Because travelling through study abroad programs offers young women tremendous opportunities for personal growth, it's important that programs help them prepare for possible harassment so they can maximize the benefits they experience through study abroad."

Dr. Rawlins also cites the Institute of International Education's 2010 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange that shows that by 2009 the number of undergraduates from the United States studying abroad doubled in a ten year period, and that women participate at twice the rate of men. But she notes that while women make up the majority of U.S. college students travelling and studying overseas, little research has been done on analyzing the role that gender plays in the experience. She also found that most of these undergraduate women lacked the cultural knowledge and experience to confidently assess the context of situations of public harassment abroad, making it difficult for them to interpret the meaning of their interactions with men in public and thereby increasing their discomfort.

Dr. Rawlins' research points to a number of challenges that need to be addressed by any college sending young women into short or long term study abroad programs, so that they will able to maximize the benefits of their experience abroad. She argues that, "Discussion of gender issues in public interaction before going abroad would equip young women with ideas about possible strategies to deal with any problems and prepare them for the public harassment they will almost inevitably experience." Sending institutions should provide sufficient orientation and pre-departure advice to help women students preparing to go abroad gain awareness and understanding of these basic issues:

• Host country cultural norms, especially in regards to public space and gender roles

• Stereotyping, especially of American women and gendered racial/ethnic stereotypes

• How to gauge, interpret, and respond to harassment

• What to do in uncomfortable situations

• How to maximize their study abroad experience while staying aware of safety/security issues

Dr. Rawlins' research also demonstrates that cross-cultural interactions between American women and women from host countries are very helpful to students experiencing public harassment abroad.  Study abroad programs should seek to provide opportunities for such cross-cultural learning experiences which according to Dr. Rawlins "hold tremendous potential for both redefining American womanhood in the world and empowering American women abroad to redefine themselves on their own terms. "