The Significance of Culture in the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence in Universities

In this chapter, we argue that gender-based violence within university communities across the UK stems from intersecting issues of sexism and other forms of discrimination in wider society. We argue that cultures of institutionalised sexism in our universities facilitate the persistence of gender-based violence (hereafter GBV) on our campuses. This chapter will demonstrate how Equally Safe in Higher Education - developed in Scotland - adopted a whole campus approach to GBV prevention and intervention which was unequivocally and proudly, grounded in feminist analysis, research and practice. Finally, the chapter provides evidence which confirms the importance of this approach and of contextualising the wide spectrum of GBV within the cultural context of the institution in institutional prevention strategies.