---
title: "SAFE13 study"
chunk: 1/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAFE13_study"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:51:42.006322+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

The Survey of Academic Field Experiences study, also known as the SAFE13 study, was a survey conducted between February and May 2013 in order to characterize experiences of scientists working at field sites as they relate to sexual harassment and sexual assault. It has had a significant impact on collective responses to sexual harassment and sexual assault in Western academic science.
Published in 2014 by a team of anthropologists, Kathryn B. H. Clancy, Robin G. Nelson,  Julienne N. Rutherford and Katie Hinde, the SAFE13 study is the first empirical investigation into scientists' experiences of harassment during fieldwork. The researchers identify three key takeaways from their work. First, women scientists are targeted more often than men, and junior scientists are also more likely to be harassed relative to senior scientists. Second, women are more likely to be harassed by senior staff, while men are harassed by their peers. Third, the majority of field scientists do not know how to report harassment.

== Methods ==
The study included responses from 666 field scientists (77.5% were women and 85.9% of participants identified as heterosexual). The survey was conducted in two waves. The first wave ran from February 21 to April 12, 2013, and captured responses from biological anthropologists.  The second wave, running from April 13 to May 10, collected responses from scientists in other disciplines. A further 26 interviews were completed to explore more in-depth experiences of sexual harassment in a broad range of fieldwork sites. The respondents were asked about experiences had at any time during their career.
The survey was not designed to estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment or assault at field sites. It was conducted online and offered anonymity, suggesting a potential self-selection bias. Only two questions in the survey directly queried the behavior experienced by respondents:

32. Have you ever personally experienced inappropriate or sexual remarks, comments about physical beauty, cognitive sex differences, or other jokes, at an anthropological field site?
39. Have you ever experienced physical sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, or sexual contact in which you could not or did not give consent or felt it would be unsafe to fight back or not give your consent at an anthropological field site?
An affirmative response to question 32 was counted as a report of sexual harassment, while an affirmative response to question 39 was counted as sexual assault, including rape.

== Findings ==
Almost three-quarters of participants (72.4%) had directly observed or been told about inappropriate behaviour or sexual comments during fieldwork. Around two-thirds of participants (64%) had personally experienced sexual language in the field and 20% of participants had experienced unwanted sexual contact. The study presented these findings as reports of "sexual harassment" and "sexual assault" respectively, though respondents were not asked whether they had been sexually harassed or assaulted. Following conventions in this area of scholarship, the study counted all "sexual remarks" as sexual harassment and all "unwanted sexual contact" as sexual assault.
The majority of people who experienced sexual harassment and assault were students and postdoctoral candidates. Perpetrators vary according to their target's gender: women are more likely to be harassed by superiors (senior people who have authority over them), while men are more likely to be harassed by their peers. Few people were sexually harassed by local members of the public, and instead the harassment occurred between colleagues in the field.
The SAFE13 study identifies several areas of improvement in combating sexual harassment in the field. For example, only around one-third of field scientists (37.7%) recalled a code of conduct operating at their fieldwork site, and less than one-quarter remembered there being anti-harassment policies. Amongst respondents who had experienced sexual harassment or assault, only one-fifth of survivors (20% each of women and men) knew of an easy way to formally report this experience. Amongst the small minority of people who did report sexual harassment and assault, less than 20% were satisfied with the outcome. The study therefore contributes to a body of empirical studies showing workplace sexual harassment negatively impacts on personal safety and professional productivity. In particular, the study shines attention on the role of fieldwork site directors in establishing clear rules to discourage sexual harassment.