According to the ACHA (American College Health Association), 50-70% of all sexual assaults in college campuses involve alcohol. In today’s society, sex and alcohol are frequently linked. There is a stereotype that men drink to feel more powerful, sexual, and aggressive. This stereotype also believes that these men go out on a Friday night, and expect sex by the end of the night. This expectation can lead to misinterpreting a woman\u2019s signals (nonverbal cues) to fit their expectations.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t help but notice there is a double standard when it comes to alcohol consumption. Abbey states in Perception of Sexual Intent: The Role of Gender, Alcohol Consumption, and Rape Supportive Attitudes, \u201cTraditional stereotypes convey a double standard regarding alcohol consumption: drinking men tend to be viewed more positively than drinking women. Women who drink alcohol are often perceived as being sexually promiscuous.\u201d (Abbey 2) This stereotype can lead a man to think that a woman under the influence is more likely to respond (sexually) to his advances than a sober woman. Alcohol consumption leads to impaired judgment. Based on this statement, are women that were under the influence when raped somewhat (partially) responsible for what happened? This question has been used by lawyers time and time again to cast doubt on rape victims’ claims. In my opinion, regardless of involvement of alcohol, the full responsibility falls upon the rapist.<\/p>\n
In Rana Sampson\u2019s Acquaintance Rape of College Students she states, \u201cWomen ages 16 to 24 experience rape at four times higher than the assault rate of all women\u201d. That would make the high school and college years the most vulnerable to women. Sampson also mentioned how college women are more prone to rape\/sexual violence than women at the same age that are not enrolled in college. One in Four college women report surviving rape (15 percent) or attempted rape (12 percent) since their fourteenth birthday. The incidence of rape recording may be under representative of the actual number of rapes that occur. There are many factors that contribute to under-reporting. There might be different social costs for reporting rape at various universities, making comparisons between schools difficult. For example, Georgia State\u2019s student body consists 22,587 undergraduates, while Emory only has around 5,500 undergraduates. When only referring to the students that \u201cgo out\u201d, the 5,500 gets even smaller. With a small group of students such as this, there is a social cost that comes with a woman reporting a sexual assault. For instance, rumors about that woman can spread rapidly around campus, leaving people in her social bubble to judge and label her.<\/p>\n
Abbey, A. “Perception of Sexual Intent: The Role of Gender, Alcohol Consumption, and Rape Supportive Attitudes.” Springer Netherlands, 05 Apr. 2002. Web.<\/p>\n
Sampson, Rana. “Acquaintance Rape of College Students.” University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 01 Aug. 2003. Web.<\/p>\n
Warsaw, R. I Never Called it Rape. <\/em>New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" According to the ACHA (American College Health Association), 50-70% of all sexual assaults in college campuses involve alcohol. In today’s society, sex and alcohol are frequently linked. There is a stereotype that men drink to feel more powerful, sexual, and … Continue reading