ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore lad culture in higher education based on existing research in the United Kingdom and across international contexts. We recognise that lad culture is a UK-specific term, but that the attitudes and behaviours associated with it – including sexism, sexual harassment and violence – are not UK-specific. Thus, we pay particular attention to the similarities and variations in the manifestations of UK lad culture and its international equivalents, notably US bro culture and frat culture. We also explore the links between understandings and conceptualisations of lad culture/frat culture in higher education and national-level responses to addressing them. In discussing this relationship, we set the scene for our own research – explored in Chapter 2 onwards – which examines the perspectives and experiences of staff working in universities in England, and contributes to knowledge about the characteristics of lad culture, explanations for it, and enablers and barriers to prevention.
