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Project

Normalisation of sexual harassment on dating apps: the impact on and of sexual scripts.

Dating applications are booming. The combination of the ongoing digitalisation and a global pandemic is considerably increasing their popularity. However, using these apps is not without risk. The prevalence of sexual harassment on dating apps is alarming, with figures ranging from 42% to 60%. Moreover, this sexual harassment frequently seems to be normalised. The objective of this research is twofold. On the one hand, it wants to gain insight into the what, how and why of (the normalisation of) sexual harassment on dating apps from a social constructionist perspective. On the other hand, sexual script theory - or ‘the social constructionist’ approach to sexuality - will not merely be applied to this phenomenon but will also be contributed to by comprehensively applying it to sexual harassment on dating apps. The possible impact of sexual scripts and this normalisation will be studied using a qualitative survey and in-depth interviews with vignettes with Flemish dating app users (18-30 years old). The obtained data will be thematically analysed and coded for different sexual scripts, externalisations of normalisation and the effects these might have on each other. Understanding the nature and extent of the normalisation of sexual harassment and the reciprocal impact of sexual scripts of active dating users help to bring researchers and policy makers one step closer to tackling this prevailing culture while also enriching sexual script theory by applying it to dating apps.

Date:1 Nov 2022 →  Today
Keywords:Dating applications, sexual scripts, Normalisation sexual harassment
Disciplines:Causes and prevention of crime, Punishment and criminal justice, Criminal law, Criminological theories