Researchers’ Experiences of Studying Gender-Based Violence and Substance Abuse in South African Higher Education

Abstract

Research on gender-based violence and substance abuse in higher education is vital for informing prevention strategies, policy reform, and institutional accountability. Yet empirical work in this field is frequently constrained by complex ethical and institutional processes that remain underexplored. While existing scholarship has examined formal ethics clearance procedures, far less attention has been paid to institution-specific gatekeeping practices that shape researchers’ access before and during fieldwork. This article draws on researchers’ experiences of conducting a qualitative study on GBV and alcohol use across a purposive sample of five South African universities. Framed by intersectionality theory, the study examines how overlapping power relations such as institutional authority, gender, student status, precarity, and cultures of silence structure access to research sites, participant recruitment, and data production. Findings reveal prolonged and uneven institutional access, significantly extending research timelines. Challenges included delayed or absent responses, reluctance to disseminate participation invitations, withholding of GBV-related documents, restricted access to support offices, last-minute recruitment arrangements, and participant hesitancy to be quoted despite informed consent. Additionally, shifting gatekeepers, prioritisation of institutional reputation over transparency, substantial emotional labour and researcher safety concerns linked to violent incidents during fieldwork. The article argues that such practices fundamentally shape what can be known and documented about GBV and substance abuse in universities, positioning knowledge production itself as a contested site of power.