Women students' physical and emotional reactions to such experiences include depression, decreased motivation, listlessness, nausea, weight loss or gain, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal disorders, inability to concentrate, helplessness, insomnia, and headaches. Sexual harassment makes women feel embarrassed, tense, frustrated, pressured, nervous. Sexual harassment does not affect women's career goals. As a result of sexual harassment, women have forfeited research, work, and even careers. Women report avoiding classes or working with certain instructors because they risk being subjected to sexual harassment.
Many women change their majors or educational programs because of sexual harassment.
Sometimes they simply drop out of college entirely. Sexual harassment can damage a woman's sense of competence and self-esteem. Students can do nothing about sexual harassment.