Rape Culture Research Paper

Rape Culture: A Growing Predicament on College Campuses

Introduction

Rape culture is an ever-growing prominent issue in the 21st Century, particularly for young women in college. Sexual assault is 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 such as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape. In the United States, females aged 12-34 experience the highest rate of sexual assault at a profound 69 percent. One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime - that concludes 14.8 percent completed and 2.8 percent attempted. Nine out of every ten victims are female, and 17.7 million American women have been sexually assaulted since 1998. These numbers also only represent the women who choose to report their sexual assault to the authorities. Only 344 out of every 1,000 sexual

Moreover, the vast majority of perpetrators will not go to jail or prison. Out of every 1,000 rapes, 994 perpetrators will walk free. In addition, women in college are three times more likely to be subjected to sexual assault. Among graduate and professional students, 8.8 percent of females experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation. Among undergraduate students, 23.1 percent of females experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation. Yet, Only 20 percent of female student victim 's, age 18-24, report to law enforcement. These statistics point out the blatantly apparent epidemic of rape culture. Moreover, rape culture is a term that was coined by feminists in the United States in the 1970 's. It was designed to show the ways in which society blamed victims of sexual assault and normalized male sexual