Lad Culture in Higher Education
Minda Burgos-Lukes, Campaigns and Advocacy
Manager (Liberation)
Sally Thomas, Policy Officer (Liberation)
Susuana Amoah, Women’s Officer
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What is Lad Culture?
The definition of Lad Culture
“A group or pack mentality residing in activities
such as sport and heavy alcohol consumption, and
‘banter’ which was often sexist, misogynist and
homophobic. It was also thought to be a
sexualized culture which involves the
objectification of women and rape-supportive
attitudes, and occasionally spilled over into sexual
harassment and violence.”
This description has since had racism added to it.
Video on Lad Culture – Fixers UK
Video: https://youtu.be/Q97KkCJNa1U
Link to organisation: www.fixers.org.uk
Lad Culture
Questions for you
Have any of you experienced or have examples of
‘lad culture’ on campus? Does it fit in with the
definition from ‘That’s what she said’ report?
Are you doing anything on your campuses to tackle
lad culture at the moment?
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Lad Culture: Knowing the facts
Hidden Marks
March 2010: Hidden Marks – A study of women students’
experiences of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual
assault
1 in 7 - experienced a serious physical or sexual assault
during their time as a student
68% – victim of one or more kinds of sexual harassment on
campus during their time as a student
1 in 10 – victims of serious sexual assault reported they
were given alcohol or drugs against their will before the
attack
Hidden Marks
“I have been repeatedly groped/smacked on my bottom on several
occasions whilst in student clubs and bars, and when I have
confronted the men they have either seemed
shocked/embarrassed that I didn’t like receiving this kind of
attention or have found it funny that I have been unhappy.”
“In the months following this I was not sure if I was raped using
Rohypnol or not because I had never been told about how it feels
etc. Part of the reason I never had the confidence to go to the
police regarding the assault was because I wasn’t hundred percent
sure I could confirm that I had had my drink spiked
“One lecturer joked about how to cover up spiking a drink with a
rape drug, then later mentioned they had been reported for
misogyny and how that couldn't be true...”
That’s what she said
“There are lots of people that are kind of lad by night, but
then are decent guys by day.”
“I don’t know anyone, any of my female friends who haven’t
had some kind of encounter that was harassment whether it
be verbal or physical since they’ve been at university.”
“…A friend who had some guy that even put his hand down
her pants on the dance floor… She told me when she got out
of the club… I’ve heard of a few friends who have had things
like that happen that have gone past a joke. I think guys
think it’s ok to do that.”
Since the research, NUS have:
October 2013: Lad Culture Consultation with Students’ Unions
February 2014: Lad Culture Summit
March 2014: Lad Culture Strategy Team
September 2014: Further research – Lad Culture and Sexism
June 2015: Lad Culture Audit
July 2015: Lad Culture Strategy Pilot Scheme
Sexism Sells – promoting sexism on
campus
Working together to challenge Lad
Culture
The National Lad Culture Strategy
• NUS working with Students, Students’ Union
staff, academics in UK institutions and other
organisations who have a vested interest in
tackling Lad Culture
Ambassador: Laura Bates, Everday Sexism
Team’s Values
The national Lad culture strategy team believe in an
approach that is:
•
•
•
•
•
Participant-led
Intersectional
Collaborative
Proactive
Collectively responsible
We are driven by encouraging everyone to be part of the
solution.
Aim of the Team
“We believe that tackling lad culture
will create a happier, safer, more
inclusive environment for all those
within the education communities.”
Team’s objectives
1. To support Students’ Unions and institutions to
map what lad culture current responses look
like in their environment
2. To facilitate the development and
implementation of resources to tackle lad
culture
3. To empower education communities to lead
their own institutional changes
Lad Culture Audit
•
•
•
•
•
Online survey for students’ unions to audit themselves
and what policies, training and victim support
programmes they had in place to tackle lad culture.
35 Students’ Unions replied to the survey and 20
completed the audit in full by providing supporting
documents
Ranked on a scale of 1 (worst) and five (best) according
to how well they met our five criteria: clarity,
accessibility, attribution of responsibility, development of
programme and outcome.
Survey is anonymized –SUs will get the results and we
will be able to create an average out of those that
completed the survey
10 Students’ Unions who completed the Audit will
become part of a pilot scheme to support them in
tackling lad culture
Key findings
Policy
• High proportion of SUs and institutions had E&D policy
and bullying and harassment policies
• Just over half of institutions (51%) had policy on sexual
harassment. 65% of SUs this policy.
• 48% of SUs had a policy on the display of sexist/
discriminatory material. Only 1 in 10 HEIs had a policy on
this.
• Twice as many SUs had a zero tolerance policy than HEIs.
• Less that half of SUs had a safe space policy (42%)
dignity at work (39%) or alcohol abuse programme
(35%)
• Lack of clarity and appropriateness of complaints and
disciplinary procedures
• Lack of promotion of policy
Key findings
Training and education
• 1 in 10 SUs provide training on lad culture (11%) and only a
third run (sexual) consent workshops (32%).
• Only 6% of institutions have included consent in curriculum.
Victim Support Programmes
• 100% SUs and 94% of institutions provided counselling
services
• 11% of SUs provide support meeting groups
• 3% of institutions provide support meeting groups
Rankings
• SUs 2.75
• Institutions 2.65
What can we do to challenge Lad
Culture?
Positive actions can create change
I HEART CONSENT
More headlines like this:
Lad Culture Is Harmful For Men Too: Males Peer Pressured Into Becoming
Sexual Predators
Huffington Post, February 2014
Can universities ever get rid of boozy, sexist lad culture?
The Telegraph, February 2014
A Third Of Females Have Been Discriminated Or Harassed At University
The Independent, September 2014
Lad culture thrives in our neoliberal universities
The Guardian, October 2014
Is new wave of lad culture damaging young men's attitudes to women?
The Daily Mail, November 2014
Six Times Student Lad Culture Was Taken Down In 2014
Huffington Post, January 2015
Less headlines like this:
Stirling University Hockey Team Filmed Chanting Sexist, 'Scary' Rants On Bus
Huffington Post, November 2013
Disbanded LSE men’s rugby club had history of racism and misogyny
The Guardian, October 2014
Students at top university taught vile song about necrophilia during freshers’
week
Daily Mail, October 2014
Edinburgh University Student Fraternity DKE-AS ‘Discussed Raping Members
of the Feminist Society’
Huffington Post, November 2014
Bikini student jelly wrestling returns despite 'sexism' complaints from uni
feminists
The Mirror, May 2015
A wish list…
• Create national guidance on tackling sexual harassment
and violence in Higher Education Institutions
• Cross-Campus Strategy on Lad Culture, Sexism and
Sexual Harassment – Can be built into Equality and
Diversity strategies
• Local Community Strategy – working with local services,
businesses and other agencies to look at how you can
tackle these issues within the community and promote
zero tolerance to sexual harassment and violence
• Alcohol Impact Scheme rolled out end self-sustaining
• Work across the education sector to identify preventative
strategies – from Primary school age up
Activity
Problem on campus: Lad Culture
Root causes and outcomes
Solution to Lad Culture on campus
Think about:
Who would you work with?
What are your policies?
What can you do?
How can you let your students know
about it?
Useful links:
NUS Hidden Marks Report:
http://www.nus.org.uk/Global/NUS_hidden_marks_r
eport_2nd_edition_web.pdf
NUS That’s What She Said Report:
http://www.nus.org.uk/Global/Campaigns/That's%2
0what%20she%20said%20full%20report%20Final%
20web.pdf
NUS Lad Culture Audit Report:
http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/ladculture-audit-report
Thank you for listening!
Lad Culture work: ladculture@nus.org.uk
Minda: minda.burgos-lukes@nus.org.uk
Susuana: susuana.amoah@nus.org.uk
Sally: sally.thomas@nus.org.uk