The illusion of choice: Organizational dependency and the neutralization of university sexual assault complaints

Abstract

In response to new regulations, universities have created multiple options for managing sexual misconduct complaints. These options are described as maximizing survivors' autonomy through feminist paradigms of choice. This study uses data from ethnographic observation and 76 interviews with survivors, perpetrators, and administrators to examine whether providing options gave survivors control over their complaints. The findings indicate that survivors found the complicated and vague sexual misconduct policies overwhelming and confusing. As a result, they became dependent on university actors in decision-making, giving the university more control over survivors' complaints as institutional actors guided survivors to options that required minimal university action.