Women's Center: Sexual Assault
It's a Women's and a Men's Issue:
Assault and abuse have often been linked to the way men are socialized to become" masculine" especially when being masculine means being in control and sexually aggressive. But not all men rape or abuse--so what accounts for those who do?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, men who perpetrate assault tend to have the following common traits, beliefs and experiences
- A belief that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict, especially in dating relationships.
- High degree of investment in traditional gender roles, & adoption of hyper-masculine traits.
- Taking the active role in dating situations (e.g., initiating, driving, paying).
- Adversarial beliefs about relationships.
- Belief in common rape myths.
- Previous intimacy with the victim.
- Use of alcohol and drugs.
Study of both incarcerated and non-incarcerated rapists show that these men score significantly higher than control subjects on standardized measures of 1) hostility toward women 2) dominance as a motive for sexual interaction, and 3) hyper- masculinity.
A study of juniors and seniors at a major Southeastern University conducted by psychologists David Lisak and Susan Roth found that there were significant differences between men who had committed acts which met the legal definition of rape and those who had not. Men who had committed rape reported having poorer relationships with their fathers than non rapists. The study concludes that those who were raised in traditional European-American families where the father was physically present but emotionally distant had significantly greater needs to "define themselves in opposition to women" and greater propensity toward violence against women (In Confronting Rape, eds. Mary Odem and Jody Clay Warner, pp. 145-62.)
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