revenge pornography taking place at universities. The director of public prosecutions has
linked its growth to the use of the internet and social media, with 206 cases taken to court in
the year covered by the CPS report.76
National Union of Students campaign to address ‘lad culture’ and sexual harassment
The NUS has been particularly active in highlighting their concerns in this area, and define
‘lad culture’ as ‘a group or pack mentality residing in activities such as sport and heavy
alcohol consumption and ‘banter’ which was sexist, misogynist, or homophobic’.77
The NUS’ call for action followed a number of student surveys and pieces of research into
students’ experiences of this type of behaviour. A summary of the findings from this research
is set out below.
Hidden Marks: a study of women students’ experiences of harassment, stalking, violence
and sexual assault (2010)
One in seven experienced a serious physical or sexual assault during their time as a
student.
68% of respondents reported that they had been subject to verbal or physical sexual
harassment on campus and in some of these experiences were on a daily basis,
representing normalised behaviour.
One in ten victims of serious sexual assault reported that they were given alcohol or
drugs against their will before the attack.
In August 2012, the NUS commissioned the Centre for Gender Studies at the University of
Sussex to conduct a piece of research on campus culture and explore the experience and
views of female students. This included a literature review of the evidence of ‘lad culture’ set
in the context of gender issues and higher education policy. This resulted in the report,
That’s what she said: women students’ experiences of ‘lad culture’ in higher education.78
The findings revealed that:
‘lad culture’ is often heavily associated with the social side of university life
many participants had altered or limited their nightlife activity as a result of ‘lad
culture’ behaviour
impact on the educational experience at university appears to have been less affected,
although there was some feedback on the existence of negative attitudes towards
feminism and gender-related topics within courses
participants identified strong connections between ‘lad culture’ and the values,
attitudes and behaviours that occurred on their campuses, suggesting that where ‘lad
culture’ is thought to be prevalent, it can have a far-reaching impact on campus
p.11, Violence Against Women and Girls Crime Report 2015-16.
NUS, That’s what she said: women students’ experiences of ‘‘lad culture’’ in higher education (2012).
78 Ibid.
76
77
69