The Sinister Reality Of Sexual Harassment in Nightlife Experiences
How sexual harassment in nightlife experiences has become normalised and what we can do to create a culture shift
Sexual harassment in nightlife environments — we’ve all either experienced or witnessed it happening at least once in our lives. The inappropriate comments, the wolf-whistling, the overly persistent guy who follows you around all night despite your protests and the non-consensual touching on the dancefloor are experienced all too often. Sexual harassment within these environments is even more sinister than the harassment you might experience walking down the street during daylight hours. Why? Well, because the cover of darkness provided by a nightclub and the free-flowing alcohol and resulting lowered inhibitions provides the self-confessed nice guy/girl who wouldn’t dare behave this way in their everyday life with a diminished sense of responsibility.
Eye-opening statistics
This is a problem experienced by both women and men alike. A 2014 Drinkaware study published by the UK parliament found that 63 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men aged 18–24 who regularly attend nightclubs, bars and pubs reported that they had experienced sexual harassment on a night out. After stumbling upon these statistics, I decided to conduct some of my own research on this topic. I found that 93.9% of survey respondents believe that sexual harassment is common within nightlife experiences, and 88.6% believe that it happens more frequently in environments such as nightclubs and bars.
Now I personally don’t find these statistics shocking. As someone who has experienced this countless times and knows many women and men who also have similar experiences, I am more than aware of how significant an issue this is. However, I do find them highly eye-opening in the sense of how normalised this behaviour has become. We have almost been conditioned to expect this on a night out. And it saddens me because this shouldn’t be the case; everyone should be entitled to enjoy their night out without fear of harassment or, even worse, violence. And the problem with sexual harassment becoming normalised and tolerated is that it supports and excuses more severe acts of sexual violence. This is a concept created by ‘11th Principle: Consent’ known as the Pyramid Of Rape Culture. The argument being that the normalisation of behaviours such as catcalling and groping on the lower end of the pyramid, supports acts of sexual violence including rape at the top of the pyramid.
What can we do about it?
So how can we go about denormalising sexual harassment, especially in nightlife experiences? It’s a very complex issue, and sadly one that I don’t believe will ever be solved completely. However, we need to create a culture shift to denormalise sexual harassment. The best place to start with this is by calling it out when you witness it, which is known as bystander intervention.
Unfortunately, my research suggests that this isn’t happening nearly often enough. When asked whether they feel confident that a stranger would come to their assistance if they were experiencing sexual harassment or at risk of sexual assault whilst on a night out, 60% of respondents answered no.
So if you witness sexual harassment whilst on a night out, don’t be a passive bystander; call it out! When you see someone that looks uncomfortable, and you choose to ignore it and carry on with your night, or one of your friends slaps someone’s bum as they walk past, and you laugh and join in with the ‘banter’ instead of calling them out then you are part of the problem.
Being a passive bystander to sexual harassment means you are helping to perpetuate rape culture. Calling it out doesn’t mean you have to confront the perpetrator; you can simply ask the person being harassed if they are okay. If you don’t feel comfortable or safe doing so, then alert security, so they can intervene.
With nightclubs reopening over the summer, there has been a lot of talk about safety. Now obviously, this is related to Covid-19. However, I think we should also consider how we can create an environment where people feel safe to enjoy their night out without fear of harassment. Be part of the solution and call out sexual harassment when you witness it.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming #callitout campaign on ListMe’s social channels. We would love to have you join in on the conversation.
