How Many Terms Does It Take to Define Sexual Assault? Inconsistencies in U.S. Higher Education Sexual Misconduct Policies

Leanna J. Papp, Sandra R. Levitsky, Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Kamaria B. Porter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Campus sexual misconduct policies (SMPs) outline prohibited conduct. We sought to document the range of terms used to refer to forms of nonconsensual sexual contact in SMPs and to analyze the content of definitions provided for the term “sexual assault.” We coded the 2016-2017 SMPs from a sample of 381 U.S. schools. We identified 125 unique terms and documented both a terminological and conceptual morass around sexual assault. Policy language may have implications for students’ and administrators’ evaluation of experiences and reports of sexual assault.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3970-3990
Number of pages21
JournalViolence Against Women
Volume30
Issue number15-16
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Gender Studies
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'How Many Terms Does It Take to Define Sexual Assault? Inconsistencies in U.S. Higher Education Sexual Misconduct Policies'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this