SHE RUNS: Studying Harassment Experience in women’s Running, and Understanding Narratives of Safety

About the Project

Despite social awareness related to women’s safety and harassment, there is little research to evidence the extent to which public harassment impacts on the physical activity levels, experiences, and choices of women, and especially lacking is international collaboration to understand the political and cultural influences in multiple contexts. Such research would contribute to new and existing global and local campaigns and further inform key stakeholders in relation to violence against women and girls and the effect this has on women’s health and daily lives worldwide. For public health and wellbeing, and the chance for women to fully engage in social life, it is imperative that women have access to outdoor physical activity without experiencing or fearing violence or harassment.

This proposed PhD project will join SHE RUNS, an international collaboration between researchers in 13 countries worldwide, founded in 2024. The group shares a commitment to generate and share evidence to support the research field and inform the global social climate related to the safety of women and girls. SHE RUNS engages with comparative international perspectives and actions in relation to running, safety, and risk of harassment across geographical, political and cultural regions to influence meaningful change. These findings will inform local, national and international campaigns and policies and provide data for resources for relevant stakeholders on local, national, and international levels.

The first stages of this mixed method research may use participatory methods to generate detailed narratives about women’s experiences, perceptions and decisions related to risk and safety when running in public space for leisure time physical activity, exercise, or training. Predominantly this will be done in a local setting, with potential to contribute to comparative international analysis of data generated amongst the SHE RUNS group. Quantitative measures may include physical activity levels (e.g., device-assessed and self-report), GPS, and physical activity enjoyment in relation to perceived risk and safety. Subsequently, there is scope for mixed method research developing relevant engagement and dissemination to a variety of stakeholders using evidence about the structural, environmental, and interpersonal factors that affect women’s physical activity levels and experiences.

The successful candidate will be based at the University of Bedfordshire but with connections to the SHE RUNS group of researchers across the globe, with potential to be involved in the development of networks of researchers and practitioners in the fields of sport development, public health, crime reduction, planning, and women’s advocacy, towards informing future initiatives that take physical activity into account when addressing violence against women in public space.

Please note that the research outlined can be undertaken as a PhD (typically 3 years if studying full-time) or, alternatively, as a smaller project in the form of a Masters by Research (typically 1 year if studying full-time).

The institution

The Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR) at the University of Bedfordshire capitalises on local, national and international opportunities for collaborative interdisciplinary cross-boundary research and innovation in health and wellbeing. The successful candidate will join our lively community of postgraduate researchers, comprising of a wealth of interests particularly in applied health, sport, and physical activity. Further details of ISPAR can be found here: https://www.beds.ac.uk/ispar/.

REF2021 Results

Research in ISPAR was entered into the Unit of Assessment 24 - Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism, with 89% of research outputs and 75% of research impact graded as world leading/internationally excellent.

Supervisory team

Successful candidates will be supported at the University of Bedfordshire by the following team of academics: Dr. Joanne Hill (joanne.hill@beds.ac.uk), Dr. Alex Baird (alex.baird@beds.ac.uk), Dr Julia Fruer (julia.fruer@beds.ac.uk).

Staff profiles are here: https://www.beds.ac.uk/ispar/about/staff/.

Funding Notes

This is a self-funded opportunity. Information on research degree fees and scholarships can be found here: https://www.beds.ac.uk/rgs/fees-and-scholarships/. Candidates will be provided with dedicated researcher training and supervision, alongside research consumables and dissemination activities where possible.

Enquiries

Joanne Hill joanne.hill@beds.ac.uk

Application Deadline

Applications accepted all year round. Please see the University of Bedfordshire Research Graduate School webpage for March and October intake deadlines: https://www.beds.ac.uk/rgs/apply/