Week 4 - Knowledge of the social issue so far

This week we had group tutorials in which we each gave a 10 minute presentation on our topic and discussed the research we have done so far.

Why sexual harassment?

My initial motivation for wanting to research women's exposure to sexual harassment comes from my everyday experiences over the past couple of years, more specifically the past couple of months. There have been a variety of things I have experienced that have drawn my attention to how often I experience sexual harassment and its strong presence in my life.

Over the past couple of months I have found myself drawn to a variety of media that discusses the issues of gender discrimination in modern society. I have watched a few documentaries that have shown the problems of gender inequality and the prevalence of victim blame in society.

I also seen a storytelling/comedy show during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival called 'Teenage Kicks.' It was the story of a young woman's life growing up as a teenager in Newcastle in which she talked about and wrote poems relating to the struggles she faced. Roisin spoke about her experiences in a way that engaged every single person in the audience. She spoke about her life with a funny and comical approach yet also had heartfelt poems that were incredibly moving. Watching this show really made me think about things and how I and many others could relate on so many levels.

The research I have done so far has been mainly secondary, I have read a lot of articles and reports that relate to the vulnerability of young women. I have looked at existing projects that aim to help women feel more comfortable in their city. I conducted a survey so I could gauge how many other women feel vulnerable in their city. I would like to speak to more people one on one so I can get more in depth answers and insights. I am going to reach out to some people who work for charities so I can gain insight into this topic from another angle.

Next steps

• Experiment with different data visualisation styles

• Explore research gathering techniques

• Gather primary research & get people to participate in a fun and interactive way