"This is a well documented book that will be of interest to a wide range of gender and politics scholars. By highlighting the intersections between gender and power ... this book makes an excellent contribution to British and Global North scholarship on gender and politics." (Tracey Raney, Politics & Gender, December 6, 2022)
1. Introduction: The Politics of Sexual Harassment.- 2. Understanding Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era.- 3. From #MeToo to the Palace of ‘Sexminster’.- 4. UK’s Devolution and Sexual Harassment: Scotland and Wales Too.- 5. Cleaning up the Houses of Parliament.- 6. Beyond British Politics: Sexual Harassment as a Global Issue.- 7. Conclusion: Heeding the #MeToo Lessons?
Dr Christina Julios is an academic author, Honorary Associate at The Open University (UK) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). She is a former Honorary Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London (UK), and has guest-lectured at Queen Mary, University of London. Her research interests include gender equality, violence against women and girls, and social movements. Previously, Dr Julios was Director of Policy and External Affairs at the Ethnic Minority Foundation, a national charity. She has authored the books Female Genital Mutilation and Social Media (2019), Forced Marriage and 'Honour' Killings in Britain (2015), and Contemporary British Identity (2008).
“Representing a major contribution to our knowledge and understanding of sexual harassment in the workplace, this is a strong candidate for becoming a seminal text in the area. Julios has approached the subject unflinchingly and head-on. She flags the slippery nature of definition, with the consequent confusion around perceptions of the term. Painstakingly, she has catalogued a wealth of rich examples, across occupational sectors and across country boundaries, convincingly building the case for the intersectional feminist analysis she adopted. Crucially, ways forward are also discussed. The book is certainly overdue in the UK, and internationally.”
— Jenny Bimrose, Professor Emeritus, Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick, UK
“This important book documents the ‘boys’ club’ ethos and terrifying degree of institutional sexism that have led to the ingrained and ongoing sexual harassment of women in the Westminster and other UK parliaments. Christina Julios shows how women experiencing sexual harassment from their colleagues have been silenced through a corporate culture of complicity and points to the urgent need to counter the gender power gap that exists at the heart of our political system.”
— Marianne Hester OBE FAcSS, Professor, Chair in Gender, Violence and International Policy at the University of Bristol, UK
This book examines the phenomenon of sexual harassment in the UK Parliament and efforts to tackle it. The volume’s in-depth research unveils a political culture where sexual transgressions thrive. Its intersectional feminist perspective furthermore highlights multiple systems of gendered oppression perpetuating inequality. Britain’s experience is viewed against the global #MeToo movement and Hollywood’s Weinstein sex scandal. The book identifies ways to redress the status quo and challenges ahead, including a gender power gap, misuse of non-disclosure agreements to silence victims, and misogynistic organisational cultures.
Dr Christina Julios is an academic author, Honorary Associate at The Open University (UK) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). She has authored the books Female Genital Mutilation and Social Media (2019), Forced Marriage and ‘Honour’ Killings in Britain (2015), and Contemporary British Identity (2008).