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Sociological theory on sexual assault
Sexual assault on college campus essay outline
Sociological theory on sexual assault
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“Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused” Freda Adler. Every 107 seconds a female above the age of 12 is sexually assaulted. Yet consequently only 68% of these heinous crimes are reported. This is becoming a rising problem. Society has trivialized rape so often to the point that it’s actively accepted as a joke. Only 3% of these perpetrators will be incarcerated (RAINN). The excuse, “Boys Will Be Boys” that people are using needs to be obliterated from the courtroom to ensure that more transgressors are imprisoned. If we teach this generation to keep their hands to themselves, communities where our families reside will be safer, the rape culture will decrease significantly and the patriarchy that elusively
“Boys Don't Cry” portrays the true story of Brandon Teena, a teenager who is faced with a serious sexual identity crisis. Although Brandon was born with a woman's body, he feels at heart and mind that he is a man. Brandon is portrayed as a loving and romantic individual who's not afraid to embrace himself in a world that often dismisses divergency. This unfortunately leads to Brandon's death at the age of 21. Two men, driven by ignorance, jealousy and hate lead to the murder of Brandon. Gender roles and social norms often deem people from becoming their true selves. Boys Don't Cry explores the constant struggle in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community through the eyes of Brandon Teena.
In today’s society, there is evidence that gender roles hold high standards in forming an identity, whether that gender is male or female. These standards put pressure on either gender to uphold them and commit to specific behaviors/actions that validate their very being. For men, this includes being considered masculine, or portraying the sense that they are authoritative over others, in which this includes displaying attitudes that contribute to female subordination. According to Pascoe (2016) in his article “Good Guys Don’t Rape” men are given the opportunity to challenge rape yet reinforce rape attitudes at the same time that are contained within rape culture and masculinity considered “norms.” Pascoe, illustrates that rape can be seen
Rape is a virus that infects every nation, culture and society. It is constantly referred to as “the unfinished murder”, because of the deep state of despair the rapist leaves the victim in. There is no common identifiable trend that determines who will be a rape victim. Women are not assaulted because of their attitudes or actions, they are attacked simply because they are present. With rapists, just as with their victims, there is no identifiable trend. The old myth that only “sick, dirty, old, perverted men” commit rapes is a lie that society tells itself in order to sleep better at night. The startling truth is that most rapists work under a veil of normalcy. In order for the percentage of rapes to decrease, we have to change our ideas about rape and let go of the old myths of the past. And until this happens, rape will continue to plague our world at large.
In the past century, America has made great leaps in terms of equality. With the efforts made by the civil rights and suffrage movements, all people gained the right to vote. We are even moving forward with marriage equality, and currently fifteen states recognize same-sex marriage. But regardless of all of our progressive institutional movements forward, we continue to socially oppress women. Men’s violence against women has grown to be an internationally recognized epidemic, and will continue to grow unless measures be made to stop it. Domestic violence continues to be prevalent in the lives of many families, and is the primary cause of homelessness in half of cases for women in children. Many women have been forced to alter their behaviors out of fear of being sexually or physically assaulted. One out of every three women is sexually or physically abused in their lifetimes. The first thing that comes to mind is, there are a lot of people abusing women out there. Many people with opposing ideas may claim that men can be victims of violence perpetrated by women, but in instances not used for self-defense, it is rarely part of a systematic pattern of power and control through force or threat of force. In fact, 99% of rape is perpetrated by men, but when confronting men about the issue of violence against women, it is often combated with denial. Jackson Katz writes in his book, The Macho Paradox, “We take comfort in the idea of the aforementioned child-rapist murderer as a horrible aberration. A monster. We’re nothing like him.”(Katz 30). The sad truth is that most women who are raped are raped by men they know, or even men they love. Many men have a hard time believing that saying that most violence is perpetuated by men does not...
The culture and norms existing during a specific time period represent how people expressed their beliefs, traditions and governance for themselves and those who share the same geographic area. As these elements change over time, they establish the social construct of the given society, shaping the roles, expectations and social order of the population. The early to mid-nineteenth century brought a great deal of social change, most notably the Civil War and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. One element of daily life that remained stable during this time period was the structure of the family hierarchy. Patrias potestas, the power of the father, or patriarchal dominance, remained prevalent within most households (Lavisano, Justice for Children, September 22 slides) as it had for many prior generations in Europe.
Sexual assault is defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and In the United States 80% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 30. Of that 80%, 44% are under the age of 18 (RAINN, 2016). That leaves 36% of victims between the ages of 18 and 30. These percentages become even more alarming when that 80% is of about 293,000 victims of secual assualt each year (RAINN, 2016). It is estimated that 1 in every 6 women in the US has been or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. The risks of sexual assault increase on college campuses. Women ages 18-24 who are enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence (RAINN, 2016). One would think that with all these women being sexually assaulted, one would hear more about it, or perhaps the police stations would constantly be busy. This is not the case. Sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes, with 68% still being left unreported (RAINN, 2016). This could be because of every 100 rapists, only 2 will spend a day in jail. Of the 32 out of 100 that would be reported, only 7 are referred to an arrest (RAINN, 2016). Why would men or women want to report sexual assault when the system that is supposed to protect them fails so often, and why does this system continue to fail?
It is not a topic that is brought up often, especially at schools or at gatherings, yet it is crucial that everyone be educated, or at least informed on a topic that affects women every day. “Given that sexual violence continues to occur at high rates in the United States, it is vital that we understand attitudes and cultural norms that serve to minimize or foster tolerance of sexual violence” (Aosved, 481). Growing rates of sexual violence goes to prove that it is not taken seriously by many, especially when myths excuse the actions of the perpetrator and instead guilt victims into thinking they are responsible for the horrible act. Burt (1980), in her article titled, “Cultural myths and support for rape” attempts to make sense of the importance of stereotypes and myths, defined as prejudicial, stereotypes, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims and rapists- in creating a climate hostile to rape victims (Burt, 217). Examples of rape myths are such sayings as “only bad girls get raped”; “women ask for it”; “women cry rape” (Burt, 217). This only goes to prove that rape myths against women always blame and make it seem like it is the women’s fault she was raped and that she deserved it for “acting” a certain way. McMahon (2007), in her article titled, “Understanding community-specific rape myths” explains how Lonsway and Fitzgerald (1994) later described rape myths as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally
...t issue in modern day United States. A disturbing trend that was observed was the high amount of sexual assault occurrences, but the low amount of convictions for sex offenders. In an effort to solve this issue, the initial step was to identify the major contributors to this phenomenon, which included unprocessed rape kits and misinformed jurors and judges. Laws to regulate the processing of rape kits and the funding of sexual abuse-focused educational programs were suggested, and it is expected that these alternatives will become potential solutions to the issue of low conviction rate. Upon entering society, individuals have the right to a sense of security and peace of mind, and their rights should be protected through the authority of the law. It is only natural to preserve these ideals for all individuals, which involves the removal of harmful agents.
17, 700, 000 women have reported sexual assault since 1998. That’s 17, 700, 000 reports too many. You see, we live in a society where women are taught to be careful not to get raped instead of men being taught not to rape. Where “rape culture” is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety. Where we trivialize sexual assault by saying “boys will be boys” and tell women that they should take it as a compliment. Where when you’re a female, especially in the tech industry, speaking out about sexual harassment is like dropping a nuclear bomb on your career. And when a female
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “it would do some women good to get raped,” from a historical perspective, lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Women are still seen as the property of men, are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men are usually more aggressive, and women are seen as passive. (Vogelman) This socialization process is changing, but slowly.
Did you know that ninety-seven percent of rapists will never spend a day in jail? (RAINN) This fact is depressing considering the large percentage of rape victims. Things like rape and violence have a severe impact on the mentality level of people. Their lives will change forever after going through an intense situation such as being molested, beaten, or anything along those lines. It has caused people to commit the same crime, become severely depressed and suicidal, as well as many other unfortunate events. People look down on those who have gone through such events, some may say things such as, "you probably deserved it”, “you were dressed provocatively" or "how did you not enjoy that?” As such, rape is an underexplored
The South Asian community, specifically the Punjabi community, knows the culture of silence all too well. Whether it be silence on topics of sexual harassment, abuse, violence, alcoholism, addiction or aggression, we know how to keep it hush-hush. Earlier this March, a young man from Brampton, ON was taken from his family by a group of senseless angry men. The story of Paviter Singh Bassi has resonated with me since the moment I heard about his passing. I didn't know this young man personally, but I felt his loss. As an older sister and as someone who lived in Brampton and has roots there, Paviter's story had me shaken.
No one expects to go through life without experiencing a few road bumps. Trials and tribulations are guaranteed, regardless of race, gender, or social standing. Often, people see these hardships as a means of division, separating humans into factions which can never understand one another. However, these individual sufferings can help form the strongest relationships. Consider Herbert Ross’ Boys on the Side, which features three women, who, despite their differences, come together to from a bond stronger than any could have anticipated. One in particular, Robin, thought her HIV positive status would forever isolate her from others. Viewers see her overcome this belief and gain a better understanding of those struggling with the virus.
Rape is a much-debated topic in public policy and academia. Research suggests that one in seven women are raped at some point in their lifetime with less than a nine percent conviction rate and even then a very small percentage of victims report (Wolitzky-Taylor, 2011, p. 808). The overwhelming majority of offenders fail to face conviction. These issues stem from both social issues and the criminal justice systems conflicting views on what it means to consent. While we have seen improvements to the legal definition of rape and evolving consent laws in 26 out of 50 states, these reforms do not go far enough. We need a consistent standard for consent so that victims feel empowered to report and testify against perpetrators rather than be subject to archaic laws that persecute the victim, erode our justice system and put our society at risk.
Many writers have tried to study the postcolonial world, but much remains to be said and documented. It is necessary to study how cultural discourses function in a society and how they alter and redefine the vital concepts of nation, state, patriotism and family. A threadbare study of everyday life is needed to shed light on the hidden network of power and cultural discourses. As a postcolonial writer, Sara Suleri takes up the challenge and weaves a moving tale of a family and a nation. It is necessary to define her achievements and her contribution to the postcolonial theory and fiction.