Week 8 Sexual Violence Flashcards
Possible Explanations
- Women’s victimization might be more personal, and therefore more terrifying
- Maybe official measures misrepresent the true victimization rates
- Women are groomed for fear
Women’s fear levels do vary with actual victimization rates that can be measured, and so perhaps the fear is not paradoxical at all
Preventing rape is assigned to women, not men- which is inappropriate
- Of course, do not go out, walk in groups, dress carefully, bring pepper spray– in other words go through life like a soldier on patrol in hostile territory
- Also check your drink
- As a last resort, lock your undies (anti-rape clothing)
The Social Elements of Rape
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Gender Roles Themselves
Consider again the lists we made at the beginning
- Aggressive/passive; authoritative/deferential
- Gender norms are exaggerated by alcohol
Media images (Show sex and violence being mixed together in a way that makes people uncomfortable but laugh and move on)
The heteronormative script Men are socialized to take more risks and be more aggressive. Women are socialized to be the opposite. This makes society slip into a nature vs nurture error in which we assume men’s aggression is based on their biology and hormones. For the most part that socialization does not translate into a desire to rape anyone but it does translate into risk-taking behavior and a desire to win and be competitive and to be aggressive. For a handful of men, it gets twisted and becomes an opportunity to be criminally violent.
Men are socialized for an aggressive stance and women are a passive one. Authoritative vs Deferential and that creates this interpersonal dynamic which is suitable for that relatively small group of men to use this to their advantage
Gender roles set women up to be victimized in ways that are complex and ways that make it very difficult for women to come up with the right thing at the right time to handle a situation that is full of ambiguity that only becomes clear once the crime has happened
- This is the easiest change we can make, too (almost) everyone’s benefit, and could make a meaningful difference
Gender, Power, and Rape
Susan Brownmiller: Rape creates a power disparity
Diana EH Russell: Rape is a reflection or consequence of power disparity
The truth is likely a combination of these ideas:
These dynamics mutually reinforce each other
She views rape as a conscious technique to control and subjugate women. It only takes a few for all women to feel afraid. When the point is achieved men are free to capitalize on that norm
Sexually Violent Crime
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Child Sexual Abuse
Often involves incest
- Parents, step-parents, uncles, and older cousins/siblings
Epidemic levels for boys, but 2.5x higher still for girls
Rarely involves force
Grooming behaviors are common
(tickling is an avenue, leaving porn on a computer screen is an avenue, and sending the child in the same room while they aren’t sure if the family member knows or not what was on the screen) [threatens to tell parents if a child does not do what they ask to do] Child becomes completely under the control of the adult for fear of the outcome
There is a surprising amount of unwitting cultural support
Sexual Assault
Should be distinct from rape
Unwanted sexual contact, short of penetration or attempted penetration
This generally requires physical contact (or attempted physical contact)
But we should not overlook
- Public masturbation
- Exposing one’s self
- Sending unsolicited nude photos
These may be felonious, and may require sex offender registration
- More often defined as harassment than assault
Rape
Penetration, however slight without consent
- Certain conditions prevent consent
Can be vaginal, anal or oral, and either sex may be a victim
- Penetration may occur with genitals, fingers or objects
Continuum from coercion to force
- Crime is not be absence of consent, rather than use of coercion or force
Stalking
Being in someone’s routine spaces repeated without invitation
- Must be repeated and scary
- Digital stalking involves digital spaces
Does NOT involve contact
Is connected to other forms of gender-based violence
This is current high-interest area of research
Prevalence
It is the most under-reported crime
- Only 8-25% of rapes of women are reported to the police
- Rapes of children and men may be reported at an even lower rate
How do we know?
- UCR, NCVS
- Individual studies
Best estimate: 1 in 3 women experiences some form of sexual violence
- Nearly 1 in 5 women experiences rape/attempted rape and 1 in 38 men do
Sexual Offenders and Victims
20% of men reported perpetrating sexual assault and 5% admitted to rape
No discernable pattern
One study found rapists not likely to feel any remorse or shame
Another found rapists fall into two groups
- One viewed women as opponents to be conquered
- One viewed women as objects to be used
Typology of Rapes
Nicholas Groth studied convicted rapist (not a representative sample)
Found the crimes fell into three categories
- Anger Rapes (40%) [characterized by brutality]
- Power Rapes (55%) [used to demonstrate control, possession or conquest]
- Sadistic Rapes (5%)
Sexual Offending
Recidvism is debated
- Low estimate is 25% high estimate is 2/3
- Early detection saves victim trauma
Intra-racial crime
- Media distort this image
Victims
Overwhelmingly female
But everyone female
Prior victimization is a risk factor
4 out of 5 victims know their assailants
