Experiences and Resistance of University Women in the Face of Inequality, Harassment and Gender Violence at the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala

Abstract

This article addresses, based on the experiences of female university students, the multiple forms of gender violence experienced by students and faculty members at the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala. Drawing from a qualitative and ethnographic study, it reveals the various ways in which practices of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and emotional, economic, sexual, aesthetic, institutional, and digital violence are reproduced within the university setting. Through personal testimonies, the article explores the mechanisms by which structures operate that reproduce patriarchal relations, within which university hierarchies act and condition the academic and professional development of students and faculty. As a result of an exercise grounded in feminist epistemology, this reflective composition articulates the diverse personal, bodily, and experiential frameworks of female university members. Using interviews and focus groups, it reconstructs shared and committed narratives on the development of resistance strategies against vulnerability, silencing, exposure, and dependency in the educational and teaching experiences of women in the university. Consequently, it explores the effects of violence on academic trajectories, mental health, and the sense of safety of both students and faculty. The study highlights the limitations and power relations underlying the implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of institutional protocols, as well as the persistence of mechanisms of concealment, silencing, and tacit agreements that perpetuate inequality and violence in university spaces. Finally, it examines the role of university authorities in relation to complaints and protocols, exposing the gaps between existing regulations and their effective application.