This article presents the main results of an exploratory qualitative study conducted in 2022, which examined sexual harassment in Portuguese academia. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews and sociodemographic profile questionnaires with 18 women from different generations and scientific areas. All participants had stable careers in academia, which gave them in-depth knowledge of its internal dynamics. This study explores their experiences as victims and witnesses of sexual harassment, as well as institutional actors who had to deal with complaints. It contributes to the understanding of sexual harassment in academia and its gendered dynamics, in a time when women are reaching positions of power in a traditionally male dominated area. Linked to gendered inequalities and hierarchies, and to neoliberal reforms, sexual harassment is a significant problem in Portuguese academia that affects mostly, but not exclusively, women in subordinate positions and of younger age. It has negative impacts on victims, but it also harms bystanders who support the victims and use their institutional power to try to make perpetrators accountable.

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Sexual harassment,Portuguese academia,#MeToo

• Psychology - Social Sciences
• Sociology - Social Sciences
• Other Social Sciences - Social Sciences