Uncovering the untold story: exploring gender disparities in sexual harassment experiences and coping strategies among Ghanaian higher education students

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to examine students’ experiences of sexual harassment (SH) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana as well as their coping strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey research design and used the convenience sampling technique to sample 926 students from four public Universities in Ghana. The data collected were analyzed using an independent-sample t-test with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0. Findings – The study found no significant difference in male and female students’ experience of gender harassment and unwanted SH. Additionally, female students were sexually coerced considerably more than males. In the case of coping strategies, the study found no significant differences among male and female students use of passive coping strategies. Finally, the study found significant differences among male and female students use of active, self-blame and benign coping strategies. Practical implications – This implies that specific attention is required when students experience SH since they may be exposed to more aggressive sexual behavior. Originality/value – The originality of this present study rest on its unique contribution by exploring the prevalent SH and coping strategies among tertiary students in HEIs in Ghana.