The Prevalence study of gender-based violence in public higher education institutions and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Welcome to the prevalence study of gender-based violence in public higher education institutions and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The study is the first of its kind in Czech academia. It is being carried out by the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciencesin cooperation with the FOCUS Agency within the project “Strategic Intelligence for Research and Innovation” (STRATIN+, project code MS2104) and is a follow-up to the European study carried out within the Horizon 2020 UniSAFE project.
Who should participate in the survey?
The survey will be conducted in public higher education institutions and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences and is intended for students and staff, including non-academic staff, both domestic and foreign. It will be conducted in Czech and English.
Why is it important to participate?
The most recent available research data on the prevalence of gender-based violence in the academic environment in the Czech Republic dates back to 2009 (Vohlídalová 2011, 2010; Pavlík et al 2009, 2011). By participating in this study – whether or not you have experienced of any of the forms of gender-based violence – you have the opportunity to contribute to developing new insights into how widespread this phenomenon is in the Czech academic environment today. The results of the study will serve as a basis for measures and recommendations for the management of higher education and research institutions, as well as for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as the responsible governmental body.
What if my university or institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences does not participate in the study?
If you would like to participate in the study but did not receive an invitation email from your institution with a link to the survey, you can participate individually. The survey can be found at this link: https://rebrand.ly/0789dotaznikEN and we greatly appreciate your willingness to contribute.
What does the survey investigate?
As part of the survey, we will be looking at the prevalence of gender-based violence in its full range of forms, including violence perpetrated online. This includes physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence and sexual harassment. The study takes the form of a prevalence study, i.e. a study that examines the prevalence of a particular phenomenon across socio-demographic groups in a given population.
What we investigate:
- Prevalence: For example, who most often encounters ridiculing or insulting remarks and on what occasions, or who is subjected to outbursts of anger from their superiors?
- Consequences: How do people facing sexual innuendo or pressure to engage in sexual activities during work or study feel and what effect this has on their work and study?
- Solutions: Why do specific groups of people not report their experience and what awareness do people have of what to do if something happens?
What will happen with my answers?
Your responses (hereafter referred to as data) will be stored during the collection process on a secure server of the technical implementer of the data collection (FOCUS Agency), which is physically located in the Czech Republic. The server is physically and cyber-secured in a standard manner.
At no stage of the data collection will the data contain any information allowing the identification of a concrete person. The data will be stored without any metatags and therefore it will not be possible at any stage to identify a concrete person who completes the questionnaire. This will ensure full anonymity of the research participants.
Only internal staff of the technical implementer of the data collection (FOCUS Agency) working on this project will have access to the data. After the data collection is completed, the data will be handed over to the implementation team of the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. After the project is completed, the data aggregated to the higher education sector and the Academy of Sciences will be stored in the Czech Social Science Data Archive.
Institutions involved in the study will receive analytical reports from the Institute of Sociology with information on the prevalence and consequences of gender-based violence among individuals within their institution. The results will be presented in such a way as to ensure full anonymity, i.e. it will not be possible to re-identify any persons participating in the survey. Any data that could potentially lead to re-identification will be removed from the dataset or aggregated at a higher level.
Why is it important to address gender-based violence in academic settings?
The experience of gender-based violence impacts the mental and physical well-being of individuals. This, in turn, impacts the educational and professional performance and development not only of those who experience it but also of bystanders. As a result, gender-based violence harms universities and research institutions as a whole, by undermining confidence in their functioning and ability to provide safe conditions for study and work. The issue is currently being addressed by universities, the Academy of Sciences and its institutes, and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Several student initiatives and associations have been established and ombudsperson positions are gradually being introduced. Solutions and measures are being sought to help create a safe environment.
For more information about the study itself and how we work with the data, see the FAQ document here.
This study is funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and sports within the framework of the STRATIN+ project (identification code MS2104).