Understanding the Challenge
Gender equality is a central United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, yet sexual harassment of women remains a persistent problem in UK society. Despite significant advances in women’s rights over the past century, many women continue to experience sexually harassing behaviours in public spaces. These behaviours range from unwanted staring and sexual gestures to explicit comments and inappropriate physical contact. A UK survey has found that 71% of women have experienced sexual harassment in a public place.
Experiencing sexual harassment can elicit strong negative emotional responses and have a harmful impact on psychological wellbeing. Research suggests that sexual objectification and harassment are associated with increased loneliness, heightened vigilance, and greater concerns about personal safety. As a result, sexual harassment not only undermines gender equality but can also restrict women’s freedom of movement and reduce their sense of safety in everyday environments.
Sexual harassment occurs across multiple contexts, including workplaces, bars, and online spaces. However, public transport represents a particularly important yet under-researched setting. Women may experience a range of harassing behaviours while travelling, from leering and winks to sexual comments and unwanted physical contact. Understanding the prevalence of these experiences, their impact on feelings of safety, and how existing interventions are perceived is essential for developing more effective, supportive responses to harassment on public transport.
Our Approach
This project will adopt a mixed-methods approach to examine women’s experiences of sexual harassment on public transport and its impact on personal safety.
Study 1 will involve a quantitative survey of 400 women across the UK who commute using buses, trains, trams, tubes, or metro systems. The survey will assess experiences of three forms of sexual harassment on public transport: sexual staring, sexual comments, and unwanted sexual contact. Measures of personal safety anxiety and vigilance will also be included to examine how different forms of harassment relate to feelings of safety.
Study 2 will use qualitative mobile methods interviews with 12 women who regularly use the Metro in the North East. Interviews will take place during Metro journeys to capture experiences and perceptions in real transport environments. Participants will reflect on how safety concerns vary across locations and settings, and will discuss current Metro campaigns addressing sexual harassment, including perceived effectiveness and willingness to report incidents.
Psychology Department
Email: lee.shepherd@northumbria.ac.uk
Project Themes
