A Study on Actual Conditions and Patterns of Sexual Harassment in the Korean Adolescents

한국 청소년의 성희롱실태 및 유형에 관한 조사연구

The purpose of this study was to identify Korean adolescents' sexual harassment conditions and patterns in schools as well as their psychological reactions when they are under sexual harassments or they committed sexual harassments. The subjects were 475 middle and high schoolers in Pusan and Gyeong Sang Nam-Do. The survey was executed from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2000. The collected data was analyzed by SPSS WIN 8.0 using percentage, mean. The results of this study were as follows: 1. the linguistic sexual harassment such as 'lewd jokes or dirty talks' was the major pattern(35.4%), The body touching such as 'kiss or embracing', 'internet transmission of pornography', 'sexual harassing of body characteristics', touching breast', 'grasping of hands or body touching', 'body touching in secret place', 'urging to sit in touch or on knees', 'exposing of special body areas', and 'showing pornography' followed in a row. 2. The eighteen point three percents of subjects had the experience to commit sexual harassment. The forty four point seven percent of above subjects committed it against their classmates. The first time to commit sexual harassment was their middle school period (38.4%). Their motives to commit it were as under: 'killing time'(48.8%), 'annoying', 'attracting attention from the other sex', 'expressing lovely emotions', 'urging of their friends', 'misunderstanding that the other partners felt good when they experienced sexual harassment, 'showing their strength' etc. their with committing harassments they felt as under ; 'joyful'(61.6%), 'funny,' 'desirous to try again', 'thrilling', 'breaking stress', very pleasant', 'exciting', 'regretful', 'guilty', and 'feeling fear' etc. 3. Twenty four point two percents of the population exposed to sexual harassments. The sexual harassers were almost their classmates (42.7%). And then unknown people', 'boy or girl friends and school staffs' followed in a row. The places where harassments happened were 'inside classroom'(69.8%), 'school bus and subway', 'outside school', etc. The feelings when experienced harassments were 'anger' (51.3%), 'hurting self-respect', 'embarrassing', 'rejection', 'insulting', 'shame', 'fear', 'dislike', 'anxiety', 'melancholy' etc. The reasons not to have consultations after sexual harassments were 'worrying to be well-known'(49.6%), 'believing not helpful enough', 'regarding simple mischief', 'trying to revenge directly', 'understanding their mistakes', 'worrying retaliation' etc.