According to Futures Without Violence, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence, one out of five women enrolled in college experience sexual assault during their undergraduate careers. Conversely, one in 16 males report to be sexually assaulted during those same college years. More alarming yet, nearly 90 percent of all sexual assaults occurring on college campuses are perpetrated by a known acquaintance of the victim.
The culture surrounding sexual violence, especially those cases on college campuses, have been structured to blame the victim, which in many cases, are female students. The problem of sexual violence is not a new topic, but university officials and lawmakers alike have ignored this issue for too long. The prescence of sexually violent crimes is very apparent here at WCU, as well as other Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) schools.
Women are often blamed for being victims of sexual assault because of the clothes they wear, how much alcohol they consume, and exhibiting potentially promiscuous behavior towards men, providing a “false sense of interest.” Society places the responsibility of preventing attacks on the victims by requiring them to carry weapons. As mentioned, nearly 90 percent of sexual assaults are carried out by acquaintances, so will carrying weapons really prevent such attacks from occurring? When someone is lying in bed next to someone they trust, a weapon will not help them when their partner does not know when no means no.[pullquote align=”center”]In my experiences, Frye’s theory has been validated through the daily harassment I witness, including men throwing objects at women to get their attention during a cat call.[/pullquote]
Kimberle Crenshaw, professor of law at University of California, Los Angeles and Columbia Law School, presents this very idea of victim blaming when she writes, “Rape law traditionally, and sexual harassment law currently, focuses on women’s conduct and their character rather than on the conduct and character of the perpetrator.”
As a young man growing up in contemporary U.S. culture, I was never raised to walk in large groups at night, carry pepper spray, or constantly worry about who is walking behind me. Women my age are taught to do these things. I cannot imagine having to constantly be on alert when I am walking back and forth to my apartment or when I am at a party. The very existence of such behaviors that have been taught to women is evidence of oppression. The fact that men are not being held accountable for a large portion of the sexual crimes they commit and that women are stuck with the blame suggests that men are the dominant gender in society and that this behavior is acceptable.
In her 1988 essay, “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies,” renowned American feminist Peggy McIntosh suggests that heterosexual behavior in males, which may include sexual assault, is a way for men to exert dominance and power over women. Furthermore, the fact that many crimes are committed by men against women and then brought to the attention of heavily male dominated law enforcement and administrative communities, exhibits the power that males have in society.
Unfortunately, men are often targeted as perpetrators only set out to hurt women. To make a generalization about all men wanting to exert their power over women in the form of violence is incorrect and offensive to the good guys. I have found that I am perceived as an aggressor in some social situations. For example, if I walk behind a girl or a group of girls, I constantly wonder if they are afraid I might attack them. In some cases, I cross to the other side of the street to avoid the thought. Although I am not the one being oppressed because I am part of the dominant gender/race, I still feel the impacts of the actions of other males.[pullquote align=”right”]The time has come to strip males of this privilege and begin to hold them responsible for their actions.[/pullquote]
Notable feminist theorist Marilyn Frye suggests in “The Politics of Reality” that many males exert dominance and power through oppressive behaviors, degrading woman simply because they see them as less important and only there to service the needs of men. In my experiences, Frye’s theory has been validated through the daily harassment I witness, including men throwing objects at women to get their attention during a cat call. Furthermore, men have not been held accountable for these actions towards women, up until this point for reasons I mentioned previously – women are given the burden of defending themselves.
The time has come to strip males of this privilege and begin to hold them responsible for their actions, while educating them on preventative measures to thwart future assaults. As a campus community, words and promises are not enough. Action must be taken to decrease the prevalence of sexual violence.
Aside from being held accountable for their actions, men need to start being advocates and supporters of women and the violence casted against them by their male counterparts. I personally have spoken up when I witness or overhear other men degrade a woman and I strongly encourage more men to do the same. Frye, Crenshaw, and McIntosh all illustrated that sexual violence is perpetrated mainly to exert dominance and power over women. In order to make our campus and community safer for women, men must break the silence that has been instilled in them. Cowering away from the issue of sexual violence will only uphold the cycle of harm. Men need to understand what defines consent and must understand that women are not objects, but in fact equals to men.
Daniel Weigle is a fourth-year student majoring in accounting. He can be reached at DW739742@wcupa.