The painful truth about university misconduct
Marijke Naezer received the AObPrize Academy Kiss for her alarming research into 'harassment' at university. She collected and analyzed 53 testimonials. “Usually the victims are silent. The painful truth is that if you come out with it, you run the risk of your career being sabotaged. ”
Picture: Fred van Diem
How does that feel, such an Academy Kiss?
Very honorable, but I also feel a bit worried about getting it. It is actually about the stories of the victims. They were so brave to share their experiences.
What is harassment?
"It could be anything. Hence I stick to the English term. It is harassment, including sexual harassment, but exclusion and bullying are also components. In our study - there are three authors - we define six forms. Perhaps misbehavior is the Dutch word that best describes it. Only when you think of universities, you tend to think of fraud or plagiarism with data, while my research is about how people are treated.”
In this culture, the toughest people win
What makes harassment at university different from elsewhere?
“What we know about scientific culture and structure is that it is highly hierarchical, competitive and individualistic. This leads to misconduct. The stars of the department are the people who publish the most and bring in the most research funding. The fact that you inspire many colleagues with your way of doing research, or that you supervise your PhD students very well, does not count in the assessment or in applications. In this culture, the hardest people win. It becomes tempting to postpone jobs, or to sabotage people so that you are listed as the first author of a publication. In addition, universities are often still very difficult about so-called special needs."
What do you mean: special needs?
"For example, if you are pregnant, have a disability, or if you are a young parent and are sleep deprived. At the university there is still too often the idea that someone has a 24/7 healthy en happy scientist is. In practice, of course, many people do not comply with this. One of the women in my study had a miscarriage, after which she was asked: 'Do you really have to stay home for that?' Or - also heard: 'Where does your loyalty actually lie, with your family or with your work?' Those are not normal questions, those are bad comments.”
Those are not normal questions, those are bad comments
What can you do if it happens to you?
“Many people keep it quiet. Very understandable, because when you step out, you run the risk of your career being sabotaged. That's the painful truth. ”
Sounds like something needs to change?
“Yes, the minister (Ingrid van Engelshoven, ed.) Does exert pressure on the universities to ensure that they have their complaints structure in order. A pilot has also been set up with ombudsmen. As investigators, we argue for a national, independent body that can investigate and intervene in the event of incidents. Especially that independence is very important. If you come out with a complaint about harassment and the boyfriend of the person you are complaining about is on the committee that handles the complaint, then you already know what time it is. These kinds of situations are still far too common. ”
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The full investigation from Dr. Marijke Naezer, Prof. Marieke van den Brink and Prof. dr. dr. Yvonne Benschop is funded by the National Network of Women Professors (LNVH) and published on 6 May 2019.
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Ingeborg van de Ven also writes about intimidation at the academy at the Science guide website.
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The LNVH showed in collaboration with the Acteursgenootschap a play on the topic. That piece makes a tour of universities.
