Communication, diversity and the 2030 Agenda in the challenge of violence against women: perception of graduate students in academic and corporate environments Perception of graduate students in academic and corporate environments

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to detect and discuss the perception of Communication’s graduate students enrolled in two São Paulo State universities, regarding violence against women in academia and in the corporate environment. It is our understanding that the process of Communication can legitimize this violence through corporate and academic discourse. It was also assessed whether the 2030 UNESCO Agenda and the SDG 5, that addresses gender equality, are disseminated in corporate and academic environments. A survey questionnaire was distributed through the use of Google forms to graduate students in two São Paulo State, Brazil, universities to identify perceptual differences or points of convergence regarding the violence produced in the corporate and academic environments through Communication. The results revealed that violence is found in both contexts, and that men perceived less frequently moral and sexual harassment against female students, which reveals the structural and cultural nature of male violence. We evidenced a low degree of awareness regarding the 2030 UNESCO Agenda and the SDG 5. Regarding action plans that could be deployed to address violence against women, the majority of respondents opted for punitive rather than educational measures. We concluded that both graduate programs still need to develop actions on the gender violence issue, and we suggest that the Communication curricula should address diversity and gender equality with a transversal approach.