(HANU ESPD) Primary Research Term 3
(HANU ESPD) Primary Research Term 3
(HANU ESPD) Primary Research Term 3
Km 9 Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan Bac, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi - Vietnam
Telephone:(84 4) 8544338, Facsimile:(84 4) 8544550, E-mail: [email protected] , Website:
www.hanu.edu.vn
Statement of authorship
Student name: ĐỖ TUẤN HIỆP & NGUYỄN QUỲNH ANH
Class: 3K-23ACN Student Number: 2304000034 & 2304000008
Subject: Primary Research Writing
Lecturer: NGUYỄN THỊ DIỆU LINH
Name of research paper: The Perception of Hanoi University Students on The
Correlation between How Young Women Dress and Sexual Harassment
Declaration
I declare that the work attached is entirely my own, and that I have given due acknowledgement
as required by the English for Specific Purposes Department.
I understand that the work submitted may be reproduced and/ or communicated for the purposes
of detecting plagiarism.
Signed__________________ Date: June 8th , 2024
Plagiarism
By signing the declaration, you are stating that you have not plagiarized.
Use the following as a checklist.
This work is entirely my own.
I have not copied another student’s work.
I have not copied or used in any way material from a text, journal, website or other
published source without acknowledgement (including non – English sources)
I have cited and referenced fully and correctly as required by the English for
Specific Purposes Department where applicable.
I have not reworded material from another source and presented it as my own.
I have not used this work in a previous class (self – plagiarism).
I
Hanoi, 2024
HANOI UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES DEPARTMENT
-------oOo-------
ABSTRACT
Sexual harassment is a globally topical issue and noticeable in Hanoi University. The research focused on
the perception of Hanoi University students on the correlation between how young women dress and sexual
harassment. Qualitative method was used and the survey received 70 accurate responses. Data were
analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that students in Hanoi University
has raised high awareness about the knowledge of sexual harassment as well the prevention in case of being
sexual harassed. One more noticeable finding is that provocative fashion concept of young women’s
clothing choice is the highest risk which could lead young women to be sexually harassed. There are many
The Perception of Hanoi University Students on
given recommendations in Hanoi University that will be implemented in order to go a long way to reducing
The
the incidence sexual harassment in theCorrelation
institution. between
How Young Women Dress and Sexual Harassment
II
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Catalog
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................................III
LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................................................V
LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................................V
1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................1
1.1. Sexual harassment.....................................................................................................................................3
1.2. Many types of young women's clothing....................................................................................................3
1.3. The perception of students on the sexual harassment................................................................................4
2. METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................4
3. RESULTS.....................................................................................................................................................5
3.1. Demographic information..........................................................................................................................5
3.2. Main findings.............................................................................................................................................5
3.2.1. Perception on sexual harassment............................................................................................................6
3.2.2. Perception on the correlation between how young women dress and sexual harassment......................7
4. DISCUSSION...............................................................................................................................................9
4.1. The perception of HANU students on sexual harassment.........................................................................9
4.2. The perception of HANU students on the correlation between how young women dress and sexual
harassment........................................................................................................................................................9
5. RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION.............................................................................................10
5.1. Limitations and Recommendations.........................................................................................................10
5.1.1. Limitations............................................................................................................................................10
5.1.2. Recommendations.................................................................................................................................10
5.2. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................................12
APPENDICES................................................................................................................................................13
III
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Results of the perception of HANU students on factors affecting young women
clothing’s choice
Figure 2: Results of the perception of HANU students on the correlation between young
women’s fashion concept and sexual harassment
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Results of demographic information of the survey respondents
Table 3: Results of how HANU students would react in case being sexually harassed
Table 4: Results of the perception of HANU students on which gender are more likely to
experience sexual harassment
IV
1. INTRODUCTION
The belief that clothing is the primary reason leading to sexual harassment has been
proven that people infer intent and attitude of others based on their clothes (Theresa,
1993). Those inferences are often inaccurate and baseless, which is based on students'
points of view; therefore, clothing is not probative or relevant evidence of the intent or
attitude of the wearer. Several factors contribute to sexual harassment, including a lack of
public awareness, pupil's fear of publicizing mistreatment, and a lack of bravery to
confront harassers. As a result, raising awareness to avoid sexual harassment of students
is vital and relevant.
According to the survey results of ActionAid Vietnam and the Research Centre for
Gender, Family and Environment in Development (CGFED) (2014), compared to other
dangers like traffic accidents, robbery, and pickpocketing, 45% of young women and
girls, as well as 45% of males and bystanders, regarded sexual harassment as the biggest
risk in metropolitan public spaces for young women and girls. In addition, 40% of survey
respondents have witnessed acts of harassing underage girls, 47% of whom witnessed
this behavior repeated many times (Ngan, 2020).
Students have raised awareness of the correlation between clothing and sexual
harassment which has been controversial topic in globe whether clothing is the
consequence of sexual abuse. Various surveys have been carried out with students to get
more data about this topic. For example, a study by Pham Van Tu and Vu Vuong Truong
(2022) found that Vietnamese middle and high school students have a limited
understanding of sexual harassment, often misconstruing verbal or non-verbal harassment
with teasing. There is no direct correlation between how young women dress and sexual
harassment. A study by Chu Thi Huyen Yen et al. (2021) focused on female students'
awareness in sexual harassment prevention and found no significant difference in the
level of awareness among female students based on their dress. These studies have
repeatedly shown that the problem of wearing and gesturing had a certain influence on
students' points of view about sexual harassment. Although the correlation between
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clothing and sexual harassment has been studied in detail, insufficient attention has been
paid to students’ opinions.
Our research topic is to clarify the perception of HANU (Hanoi University) students on
the correlation between how young women dress and sexual harassment. Therefore, this
research paper aims to look for the answers of two questions: (1) what is the perception
of HANU students on sexual harassment? (2) what is the perception of HANU students
on the correlation between how young women dress and sexual harassment?
In other words, Fredrik and Maja (2020) acclaimed that sexual harassment is a
widespread issue in universities worldwide. Education systems have an impact on
individuals, groups, and entire societies. Organizations are impacted greatly by
technology.
To sum up, sexual harassment is an illegal behavior that affects negatively to both
physical and mental well-being of victims. What is notable here is that school sexual
harassment becomes even more dangerous when many students are unaware that it is
sexual harassment and hence fail to report it or take preventative measures (Tu, P. V. &
Truong, V. V., 2022)
According to Caitlin S. Cohn (2012), there are three types of young women’s clothing:
modesty, revealing to concealing, and provocative dress.
Modesty refers to wearing suitably for the circumstances within the culture, meaning that
clothing should not expose too much of the body through visible skin or tightness. That is
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also a fashion trend in young women of wearing less skin-revealing clothes, especially in
a way that satisfies their spiritual and stylistic requirements for reasons of faith, religion
or personal preference. In Vietnam, “Áo dài” is considered as modest clothing.
2. METHODOLOGY
After carefully studying information sources and reference documents, the quantitative
research method was chosen. Surveys provide a number of advantages. The high
population representatives and the method's low cost in comparison to other options are
two of its most significant advantages. On the other side, the reliability of survey data is
extremely reliant on the survey format and the correctness of responses supplied by the
respondents (André, 2017).
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The survey consisted of 7 questions which are divided into 3 terms and included 2
multiple choice questions, 3 questions based on 5 point Likert scale, 1 Open ended
question and 1 Close ended question : Demographic information about sex and academic
level, Perception on sexual harassment about the understanding of sexual harassment and
the reaction of being sexual harassment, Perception on the correlation between how
young woman dress and sexual harassment about the risk of being sexually harassed
based on sex, the factors affecting young women’s clothing choices and the risk of being
sexually harassed based on the concepts of young women’s clothing.
The survey was designed on Google Forms, posted online on a Facebook group named
K24 HANUers and sent through 3K23-ACN. The data were then analyzed using
statistical software Excel to form charts, graphs to present final results. It took 1 week
from 21th May 2024 to 28th May 2024 to collect data. Participants were given 5 minutes
to fill in the survey anonymously.
Overall, 71 responses were collected but only 70 responses were answered fully and
correctly. The correct responding rate is 98,6%.
3. RESULTS
Factor Value
N (%) 70 (100)
Male 20 (28,6)
Sex
Female 50 (71,4)
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Freshman 57 (81,4)
Sophomore 9 (12,9)
Academic level
Junior 3 (4,3)
Senior 1 (1,4)
(Source: The survey data of the research project)
On the other hand, nearly 40% of HANU students participating in the survey were
neutral in case “receiving comments on appearance”. Following this, 35,7% of them were
also impersonal in case being stared.
Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Signs of sexual harassment disagree agree
N(%) N(%) N(%)
N(%) N(%)
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Any form of unwanted touching 13 (18,3) 5 (0,1) 25 (35,2) 12(17)
(22,5)
Receiving sexually-suggestive 14
10 (13,7) 2 (2,7) 31 (42,5) 16 (21,9)
comments (19,2)
29
Receiving comments on appearance 6 (8,3) 15 (20,5) 19 (26) 4 (5,5)
(39,7)
26
Being stared 9 (12,3) 12 (16,4) 20 (27,4) 6 (8,2)
(35,7)
15
Being followed 10 (13,5) 8 (10,8) 25 (33,8) 16 (21,6)
(20,3)
Receiving sexual message 12 (16,7) 4 (5,6) 6 (8,3) 21 (29,2) 29 (40,2)
(Source: The survey data of the research project)
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As can be seen in Table 3, almost HANU students decided to stay away from sexual
harassment perpetrators (73,2%). Other responses such as keeping distance from
locations which are high-potential of occurring sexual harassment (54,9%), sharing the
story with someone else (52,1%) were also supposed to be helpful in case being sexual
harassed. Moreover, nearly half of HANU students taking part in this survey would
directly tell the perpetrator that the behavior was not alright. To lesser extent, few of
them would force themselves to forgive the perpetrator.
Table 3: Results of how HANU students would react in case being sexually harassed
3.2.2. Perception on the correlation between how young women dress and
sexual harassment
In the Table 4, nearly three fifths of HANU students responding this survey considered
that female is at higher risk of sexual harassment, followed by male and “all genders
equally”.
Table 4: Results of the perception of HANU students on which gender are more likely to
experience sexual harassment
Gender N (%)
Male 2 (2,9)
Female 41 (58,6)
All gender equally 27 (38,6)
(Source: The survey data of the research project)
X
It can be easily seen in Figure 1 that almost HANU students involving in this survey
acclaimed that body shape, life style and affordability were two mains factors leading
clothing choices of women. Other factors such as personality, friend group, cultural
background and environment had less influential impacts on their choice.
Figure 1: Results of the perception of HANU students on factors affecting young women
clothing’s choice
In Figure 2, the number of HANU students acclaiming that young women pursing
Provocative fashion concept were the most likely to be in danger of sexual harassment.
Following this, revealing fashion concept was considered as the second young women’s
dress that may be at risk of being sexually harassed. Finally, modest fashion concept was
the third one, which seemed to be safe clothing choice of young women.
Figure 2: Results of the perception of HANU students on the correlation between young
women’s fashion concept and sexual harassment
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(Source: The survey data of the research project)
4. DISCUSSION
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4.2. The perception of HANU students on the correlation between how
young women dress and sexual harassment
The results show a popular data that female is considered to be at higher risk of sexual
harassment than male. For example, a study by the Canadian Women's Foundation
indicates that women are five times more likely than men to be sexually
assaulted. Similarly, a survey by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that
anywhere from 25 to 85 percent of working women have experienced sexual harassment
or abuse in the workplace.
In terms of how young women dress, HANU students acclaim that body shape, life style
and affordability were two more important factors leading clothing choices of women
than other ones such as personality, friend group, cultural background and environment
had less influential impacts on their choice.
The core value of this research is in the question about young women’s fashion concept.
A huge number of HANU students claim that young women pursing Provocative fashion
concept were more likely to be in danger of sexual harassment than revealing fashion
concept and modest fashion concept. This result is relevant to the study of Caitlin S.
Cohn (2012) which also found that young women consider how their clothing choices fit
into their social group or a particular social scene. They may choose to dress in a way that
helps them fit in or stand out among their peers.
5.1.1. Limitations
After conducting a survey and analyzing results, some limitations should be noted. The
first limitation of qualitative research is that it does not provide in-depth answers to our
topic and questions of research. In addition, due to the fact that the study was not
sponsored, we had difficulty reaching the respondents. Therefore, we had to conduct the
survey online, and it took quite a long time to reach the number of respondents we
needed. Also, that number was relatively small (only 70 respondents), so it cannot be
XIII
generalized. Moreover, when the survey was being conducted, it might get dishonest
responses which would affect further analysis and evaluation.
5.1.2. Recommendations
Based on these findings, HANU should implement educational architectures that aim to
raise awareness of the perception of students about sexual harassment and provide
support to students who may be engaged in computing with certificate or content.
Students who work together with professionals and community groups can better
safeguard themselves and their acquaintances.
5.2. Conclusion
In conclusion, the study sheds light on HANU students’ perceptions of sexual harassment
and the factors that influence their attitudes towards sexual harassment. There is a
growing awareness of young people, especially students in HANU; however, there are
still exist some people that have misconceptions and social influences continue to shape
their behavior towards sexual harassment. Universities may significantly influence
students' perceptions of sexual harassment by addressing these variables via
comprehensive education and support services.
REFERENCES
Cohn, Caitlin S.. (2012). Revealing and concealing:a qualitative study of young women’s
views of dress choices.. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy,
https://hdl.handle.net/11299/121027.
Gurung, Aditi Ms; Priyadarshini, Sangeetha Ms; and Margaret, Binu E. Ms (2016)
"Perception of Sexual Harassment among the Undergraduate Students," Manipal
Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, . Available at:
https://impressions.manipal.edu/mjnhs/vol2/iss1/12
Heightened risk factors | Sexual Harassment Office. (n.d.).
https://www.mun.ca/sexualharassment/prevention/heightened-risk-factors/
XIV
Lennon, S. J., Adomaitis, A. D., Koo, J. et al. Dress and sex: a review of empirical
research involving human participants and published in refereed journals. Fash
Text 4, 14 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-017-0101-5
Lewis, A. E. (2023, February 27). Who is at highest risk of sexual harassment? | ACLU.
American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org
Tu, P. V., & Truong, V. V. (2022). Perceptions of sexual harassment among Vietnamese
middle and high school students. Przestrzeń Społeczna (Social Space), 22(1).
Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC) (2018), PEOPLE MATTER SURVEY.
ORIMA RESEARCH. https://vpsc.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sexual-
Harassment-Survey-Module-PMS-2018.pdf?
fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0BqNhV3LCGIPhSrQzGyhf16VxqnkguFph
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APPENDICES
The perception of Hanoi University
students on
the correlation between how young
women dress and sexual harassment
Hi everyone,
Thank you for agreeing to spend time participating in this survey. We are first year students
of ESPD (English for Specific Purposes Department) in Hanoi University, and we are
conducting a research project about "The perception of Hanoi University students on the
correlation between how young women dress and sexual harassment". Through this brief
survey, your answer will provide valuable data for the analysis of the HANU students'
awareness of the correlation between young women's clothing choice and sexual harrasment.
The survey should only take 5 minutes; your response will be kept in confidentialy and will
only be served for the purposes of the research. Thanks for your enthusiatic copperation.
Xin chào tất cả mọi người,
Cảm ơn bạn đã đồng ý dành thời gian tham gia khảo sát này. Chúng tôi là sinh viên năm nhất
của ESPD (Khoa Tiếng Anh cho Mục đích Cụ thể) tại Đại học Hà Nội, và chúng tôi đang
thực hiện một dự án nghiên cứu về "Nhận thức của sinh viên Đại học Hà Nội về mối quan hệ
giữa cách phụ nữ ăn mặc và quấy rối tình dục". Thông qua cuộc khảo sát ngắn gọn này, câu
trả lời của bạn sẽ cung cấp dữ liệu có giá trị cho việc phân tích nhận thức của sinh viên
HANU về mối tương quan giữa lựa chọn trang phục của phụ nữ và quấy rối tình dục. Thời
gian khảo sát chỉ mất 5 phút; phản hồi của bạn sẽ được giữ bí mật và sẽ chỉ được phục vụ cho
mục đích nghiên cứu. Cảm ơn sự nhiệt tình của bạn.
A. Demographic information (Thông tin nhân khẩu học)
1. What's your sex? (Giới tính của bạn là?)
Male (Nam)
Female (Nữ)
Not prefer to say (Không muốn tiết lộ)
2. What is your academic level? (Trình độ học vấn của bạn là?)
16
Strongly
disagree Disagree
Neutral
(Hoàn toàn (Không đồng Agree (Đồng ý)
(Trung lập)
không đồng ý)
ý)
Any form of unwanted
touching (Bất kỳ hình
thức đụng chạm không
mong muốn nào)
Sexually-suggestive
comments (Bình luận
khêu gợi tình dục)
Comments on
appearance (Nhận xét
về ngoại hình)
Staring (Nhìn chằm
chằm)
Following (Theo dõi)
Received sexual
message (Nhận được tin
nhắn tình dục)
2. When the harassment happened to you, did you respond in any of the following
ways? ( Khi sự quấy rối xảy ra với bạn, bạn có phản ứng theo bất kỳ cách nào sau đây
không?)
Tried to laugh it off or forget about it (Cố gắng cười nó hoặc quên nó đi)
Pretended it didn't bother you (Giả vờ như nó không làm phiền bạn)
Avoided the person(s) by staying away from them (Tránh (những) người bằng
cách tránh xa họ)
Told the person the behaviour was not OK (Nói với người đó rằng hành vi không
ổn)
Avoided locations where the behaviour might occur (Tránh các vị trí có thể xảy ra
hành vi)
Told someone else about what happened (Nói với người khác về những gì đã xảy
ra)
Other(s)
C. Perception on the correlation between how young woman dress and
sexual harassment (Nhận thức về sự tương quan giữa cách phụ nữ trẻ
mặc và quấy rối tình dục)
1. Which gender do you think sexual harassment happens to the most? (Bạn nghĩ
quấy rối tình dục xảy ra với giới tính nào nhiều nhất?)
Male (Nam)
Female (Nữ)
17
All genders equally (Tất cả các giới như nhau)
2. On the scale from 1 to 5, what factors you think affect young women’s clothing
choices? (Trên thanh từ 1 đến 5, những yếu tố nào bạn nghĩ ảnh hưởng đến sự
lựa chọn quần áo của phụ nữ trẻ?)
1 2 3 4 5
Body shape (Hình
dạng cơ thể)
Personality (Tính
cách)
Life style (Phong
cách sống)
Cultural contact
(Liên hệ văn hóa)
Social peer group
(Nhóm xã hội đồng
trang lứa)
Environment (Môi
trường sống)
Affordability (Khả
năng chi trả)
3. On the scale from 1 to 5, what concepts of young women's clothing you think
would they be at risk of sexual harassment? (Trên thang 1 đến 5, phong cách
quần áo của phụ nữ bạn nghĩ họ sẽ có nguy cơ quấy rối tình dục?)
1 2 3 4 5
Modest Fashion
concept (Thời trang
khiêm tốn)
Revealing Fashion
concept (Thời trang
phóng khoáng)
Provocative Fashion
concept (Thời trang
quyến rũ)
18