The Constraints of Fear and Neutrality in Title IX Administrators’ Responses to Sexual Violence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972—a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education—universities are responsible for both addressing and preventing sexual violence on their campuses. Despite the recent growth of Title IX offices, administrators, and policies aimed at preventing sexual violence on university campuses, many students describe reporting their sexual assaults to university administrators as one of the most traumatizing aspects of their experience. This study seeks to explain the disconnect between university efforts to respond to sexual violence and numerous reports of institutional betrayal by survivors. I report from interview data on university administrators’ experiences of creating and implementing Title IX policies. I argue that the fear of media and public scrutiny and the role of Title IX administrator as a “neutral” party constrain administrator’s decision-making abilities. As a result, well-intentioned administrators tasked with protecting gender equality, may subtly reproduce a system that further marginalizes women and their experiences of sexual violence. This study sheds new light on how universities are responding to sexual violence.