The Experiences
Verbal harassment was the most common way the young women were diminished at school. Typically, comments leveled against them included name-calling ("bitch," "fucking broad," "douche," "dog," "bimbo," "baby," and "chick"); verbal put-downs ("women belong barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen"); objectifying remarks ("nice ass," "nice tits," "sexy legs"); and sexual propositions ("I know you want it bad so why don't you come to my house?").

Rating young women as they passed by male students in the hallways was described as a routine practice. Typical comments included, "I like the way she walks, I give her 10 out of 10." "That one's a dog, I give her a 2." Black girls were generally given lower ratings than white girls, and young minority women had also to contend with racism: "I hear Black girls are good in bed." "I never had a Chinese girl before; I wonder how it feels."

For most students, grabbing, touching, and rubbing were everyday rituals. "I will be standing at my locker," one student explained, "and someone will come up and start rubbing against me." Or, "the guys will walk out and try to touch your chest."

In at least two cases, physical harassment escalated to sexual assault: one incident was perpetrated by a male teacher, the other by a group of male students. In fact, it was incidents such as these that made the students realize that sexual harassment could lead to extreme abuse. And this helped them to understand why their most common reaction to sexual harassment was fear. For example, the young women commented on the apprehension they felt when male students leered at them. As one student put it, "It worries me ... what they might be thinking."

A few young women had been verbally threatened by male students. The following incident occurred in class: "I was talking to a guy who sits behind me. He said a sentence and ended calling me 'a bonehead.' I then said, 'You're the one who's a boner.' He said, 'You better shut-up before I stick my dick up your ass so hard you won't be able to breathe.'" Another incident involved a phone-call made to the vice-principal by a young man who expressed his intent to rape and kill a female student in her school.

Ranging from their routine experiences of insults and objectifying comments to periodic threats of rape and murder, these young women endured at school a persistent stream of harassing behaviour. Unfortunately, their stories are not unique and the prevalence and severity have been corroborated elsewhere. In a study recently conducted in the United States, 89 percent of the girls reported having experienced appropriate sexual comments, gestures and looks; 83 percent had been touched, pinched or grabbed; and 40 percent said these incidents occurred daily at school (3). Since the completion of my own research I have conducted workshops with hundreds of teachers and students who relate experiences that resonate with those of the girls I interviewed.

For many female students, then, stories like these are depressingly routine. The consequences can be devastating as young women struggle to survive in a toxic learning environment. When so much of a young woman's day is spent fending off diminishing comments, sexual innuendos, and physical pestering, how can she be expected to focus on her education? Is it any wonder so many are apprehensive about their ability to succeed at school?