Sexual Harassment Among California Archaeologists: Results of the Gender Equity and Sexual Harassment Survey

Gender equity and its role in archaeological discourse has been under investigation for decades. Recently, increasing attention has been given to women's experiences and safety with regard to sexual harassment in field situations. The UCSB Gender Equity Project created a survey to investigate this issue among members of the Society for California Archaeology. A qualitative survey on gender equity and sexual harassment was distributed to the membership in August 2016, and this article focuses on the harassment results. Survey responses indicate that women and marginalized community members, including people of color and LGBTQ+ archaeologists, experience higher frequencies of harassment compared to other demographic groups. These data also capture harassment dynamics related to perpetrator/victim relationships, locations where harassment most often occurs, and reporting patterns. Collectively, the results offer a means to consider how our discipline can take action to promote safety by increasing harassment training, supporting diverse identities, eliminating offensive field banter, and expanding our efforts to help victims and to increase reporting rates.