Sexual harassment: does it happen at AISG?

The end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 marked the peak of sexual discrimination awareness. Starting from the sexual assault incident at Shanghai American School Puxi to the Times Up Movement involving the whole world, gender-based problems have become a popular topic amongst AISG students. This month, I decided to ask the AISG community and seek their views on and experiences with gender issues.

At AISG, less than half of the surveyed student body had experiences of sexual pressure in any form: only 40.3% respondents reported that they’ve been harassed in a sexual nature. Many of the students reported that they were touched inappropriately by either strangers and/or people they know. Some of them pointed out that another type of sexual pressure they’ve experienced is when “guys make unwanted advances (eg asking me out). I say no but they still message me, it’s a little intimidating tbh.” Although asking someone out multiple times is not as bad as what the majority of people perceive sexual assault to be, it still creates sexual tension and puts pressure on people which may come off as harassment.

Though not sexual at all, it should be noted that many people believe that a mandatory military enlistment for men is also a form of sexual discrimination, since this service forces only one gender to participate, and can leave a mark on a young man’s life by disrupting his education or career.

As for sexual discrimination within our community, 41% of the respondents reported that they’ve either seen or experienced it. Some students mentioned that “some of my peers objectify both women and men – when they see a hot woman they’ll make comments like ‘ooh, what an ass!’” Similarly, many others say there is “A TON of sexual tension,” and “a few girls have been seemingly ‘harassed,’ but I assume it’s under consent.” Even worse, one student said in the survey that she has “been groped in a school event.” Even though 41% doesn’t seem like too high of a percentage, sexualizing both women and men and sexually pursuing someone without their consent are acts that have made students feel uncomfortable. As a community, both genders need to be more aware of the language they use and the actions they perform on others, as they can easily spark discomfort.

A lot of us recognize sexual discrimination as rape or molestation, but in reality, acts or language that can potentially harm one sex, such as catcalling or “calling someone a slut” as mentioned in one of the responses, also constitute sexual harassment. The AISG community needs to take another step to eradicate any forms of sexual pressure, and hopefully, lower the 41% to a 0%.