Sexual Harassment Survey at the Hebrew University
Survey Summary

Background and Methodology

In May 2024, the Commission for Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Hebrew University conducted a survey in order to learn more about sexual harassment at the University. The online survey was conducted among the entire population of the Hebrew University, including students, academic staff and administrative staff. The survey was anonymous and included both closed and open-ended questions which allowed respondents to elaborate freely. The survey questionnaire can be read here, and the full report can be found here (In Hebrew).

A total of 4,738 respondents answered the survey, which is 16.4% of the university population. Among undergraduate students, 12.1% responded; among master's students, 11.5%; among doctoral students, 18.6%; among junior academic staff, 11.3%; among senior academic staff, 61.7%; and among administrative and technical staff, 44.2%. To enhance the representativeness of the sample, weighting was applied so that each category of respondents would match its relative size within the university population. The response rates for women and men were similar, with particularly high response rates among administrative and academic staff.

The survey examined exposure to various behaviors which constitute sexual harassment, that respondents experienced personally or witnessed, and checked to which population within the university the harasser belonged to and whether they had authority over the victim. It also examined whether respondents who were exposed to harassment chose to report it and their reasons for doing or not doing so, their satisfaction with the Commission’s inquiry process, as well as their exposure to the Commission activities. The questions pertained to the past three years.

 

Exposure to sexual harassment at the University

Respondents were presented with a list of sexually harassing behaviors (in accordance with the Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and relevant case law) across a wide range of severity levels. They were asked to indicate whether they had experienced such harassment from various populations at the university (students, teaching staff, administrative staff, external workers such as cleaning or security, or unknown individuals), and if they did experience it, whether the perpetrator had authority over them. They were also asked if they had witnessed such harassing behaviors towards others.

Overall, 20.6% reported experiencing at least one type of sexual harassment; 7.4% reported one type of harassment, an additional 6% reported two types, 2.7% reported three types, and 4.4% reported more than three.

The most common types of harassment were on the milder side of the spectrum: telling lewd jokes or sharing sexually explicit stories in the presence of the respondent, making sexually suggestive comments, or behaving in ways that created a disturbing atmosphere (12.1% experienced this). Other common types of harassment included derogatory remarks related to gender, sex, or sexuality (9.4%), offensive or degrading references to gender (8.3%), and unpleasant sexual remarks (7.2%). More severe forms of harassment were reported less frequently: inappropriate touching (4.3%), sharing sexual images or recordings of the respondent (1.1%), pressure to engage in an intimate relationship or agree to a sexual proposition (1.4%), and exposure of intimate body parts without consent (1.3%).

 

Identity of the Victims

The distribution of respondents who reported experiencing various types of harassment is fully detailed in Table 1.5 of the full report. Below is the percentage of respondents who reported experiencing at least one type of harassment:

Experienced at least one type of harassment	%
Undergraduate students	21.7
Master’s students	22.2
Doctoral students	19.2
Junior academic staff	21.4
Senior academic staff	12.8
Administrative and technical staff	18.2

It is notable that academic staff reported significantly fewer instances of harassment compared to others.

Women reported experiencing more types of sexual harassment (24.8% experienced at least one type) compared to men (14.8%). In fact, in every type of sexual harassment, women reported higher rates than men. The largest gaps were in the harassment types "retaliation was taken against you because you rejected a sexual proposition or objected to behavior that harassed you" and "you were treated in an abusive or humiliating manner due to your gender." Smaller gaps were seen in harassment types such as "sexually oriented photos or videos of you were distributed without your consent" and " Humiliating comments connected to the gender, sex or sexuality of another person or another population group were made in your presence."

 

Identity of the Harassers

The distribution of reported harassers indicates that the most common perpetrators were students (41.7%), teaching staff (no distinction made between senior and junior) (24.3%), and external workers (11.9%):

Reported harassers	%
Student	41.7
Teaching staff (senior and junior)	24.3
Administrative staff	6.4
External worker	11.9
Unknown/other	15.7

Types of harassment involving individuals with authority included "Pressure was exerted on you to conduct an intimate relationship or to agree to a sexual proposition" (19.7%), "You were treated in an abusive or humiliating manner due to your gender" (18.7%), and "A person sexually exposed themselves to you without your consent" (18.0%).

 

Reporting to University Authorities about Sexual Harassment Incidents

Respondents were asked whether they reported incidents of harassment they experienced or witnessed, and what their reasons were for choosing to report or not to report.

Reporting rates to university authorities about sexual harassment incidents (out of 1,149 respondents for whom this question was relevant)

Half of the respondents who indicated in the survey that they had been harassed or had witnessed sexual harassment chose not to report it. Another 15% did not report but suggested to those who were harassed that they should report it. Overall, less than one-fifth of those who were harassed or witnessed harassment reported it. Among those who did report, a significant portion chose not to report to the Commission or a faculty authority, but rather to another party.

Reasons for Reporting (%)

The common reasons for reporting included the desire for the harasser not to harass others (63.9%), for the harassment to stop (50.4%), and for the harasser to be punished (37.1%).

Reasons for Not Reporting (%)

The main reasons for not reporting were that respondents did not think it was important enough to deal with (47.5%) and a reluctance to deal with something unpleasant (37.3%). Additionally, 28% believed that the university would not handle the complaint properly, and 8.2% feared they would not be believed.

 

Assessment of the Commission's Response

Respondents who indicated that they reported a harassment incident to the Commission were asked to evaluate how the Commission handled their case.

It is worth noting that a relatively small number of respondents—fewer than 100—answered this question. There is significant variation in responses, with some agreeing with positive evaluations of the Commission's handling, while others do not. The highest agreement was with the statement that the Commissioner was accessible in a reasonable time frame (70% agreed strongly or very strongly), that the complaint process was sensitive (58.7% agreed strongly or very strongly, but 30.5% disagreed), and that the complaint process was professional (65.5% agreed while 29.1% either disagreed entirely or agreed only to a small extent). Over half (54.4%) agreed strongly or very strongly that they were satisfied with the results of the handling, while a third (34%) either disagreed entirely or agreed only to a small extent.

 

Awareness of the Commission

Respondents were asked if they had heard of the Commission and the option to seek assistance from it. Among all respondents, 72.3% reported having heard of the Commission. The two most frequently mentioned sources of information about the Commission were exposure to an email sent to the entire university population (54.2%) and the online tutorial (43.8%). Additionally, many reported seeing posters (37.8%) and stickers (38.6%).