Sexual Corruption: Gender and Abuse of Authority

Abstract

This panel examines how gender and power shape the abuse of authority in sexual corruption. Norms of masculinity affect the organization, perception, and persistence of sexual corruption across institutions and societies. While political science has often analyzed gendered hierarchies from the perspective of women and marginalized groups, less attention has been paid to the role of men and masculinities in reproducing power and sustaining inequality. Sexual corruption—the abuse of entrusted authority for sexual purposes—provides a fruitful lens for investigating these dynamics, revealing how male-dominated power structures and gendered norms normalize and perpetuate inequality. The panel highlights the ways in which institutionalized hierarchies and informal norms enable those in positions of authority—often men—to evade accountability, while shifting responsibility and the burden of change onto vulnerable actors. Across contexts, these dynamics illustrate that sexual corruption is not simply an individual failing but a socially and institutionally embedded phenomenon, intimately tied to gendered power structures. Societal perceptions further reinforce these patterns. Public attitudes often reflect and reproduce masculine authority, shaping who is blamed, how behaviors are interpreted, and which acts are normalized or silenced. This perspective underscores the interplay between institutional practices and social expectations, demonstrating how gendered hierarchies persist also in societies and organizations that formally promote equality. By integrating theoretical insights with results from case studies and survey research, the panel collectively illuminates how gender shapes the abuse of authority that that sustains sexual corruption. These insights have broad implications for research on gender, institutions, and political authority, highlighting the need to analyze men and masculinities not as background actors but as central forces in shaping organizational and societal inequalities.

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