Are Gentlemen Always Safe? Examining Our Country’s Relationship with Sexual Violence
By Grace Gallacher, Opinion Copy Editor
Blueprint graphic by Cameron Powell
Three men attempt to convince women to blindly trust them. When the women are reluctant, one of the men challenges their fear since he and his friends are “gentlemen.” In response, one of the women immediately questions him, asking, “"Are ‘gentlemen’ always safe?"”
This was a scene in Herland I came across in English class over two years ago. Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote Herland to highlight the arguments regarding misogyny and sexual assault she witnessed daily - but she published her work in 1920, over 70 years before marital rape became a crime in the United States, making her message a rare publication for the time. I asked myself then, and I ask myself now: why are the century-old arguments still heard today?
If we were to follow our previous historical trends, we would be reaching the third wave of feminism, but instead it appears as if we are regressing, leaving our minds behind our laws. Although the laws surrounding sexual assault have significantly changed in the last century, the prevailing ideas and attitudes have not changed accordingly. Such a regressive phenomenon is a byproduct of the prevailing attitudes presented in the media and by public figures, leading to the normalization of the crime, thereby increasing rates of both sexual assault and lightened punishments.
While it may seem foreign or impossible that such a crime can go unpunished, some states still create loopholes and exemptions for rapists, and even though by 1993, all 50 states considered marital rape a serious crime, according to National Domestic Violence Hotline, “some states still exempt spousal rape from criminal prosecution.”
Why is it that some Americans refuse to acknowledge that rape not only happens but truly is a serious offense?
Prior studies by Christopher J. Ferguson reveal that men and women react differently to depictions of sexual violence against women, and it predominantly focuses on the rising rates and consequences of the crime. Not only do depictions of sexual assault normalize the crime, these portrayals demonstrate increasing violence against women. Furthermore, this is present in shows and movies targeted towards younger viewers, who are much more impressionable than their adult counterparts.
Sexual Assault Experienced by Women in the Workplace (2019)
We can see such depictions in popular TV series amongst teenagers like Game of Thrones, Grey’s Anatomy, and 13 Reasons Why. However, it is not just the depictions that influence views, rather the punishments as well, or more so the lack thereof. Without on-screen consequences of the crime, which shows and movies often lack, the severity of sexual assault is not conveyed. Not just that, but the lack of fallout makes the crime seem inconsequential - or in other words: normal and okay. While it may seem like nothing, rates of sexual assault are higher now than 30 years ago, and victims are often blamed, enabling violators to walk free.
With these views, America has witnessed a resurgence of assault, primarily targeted at women. For instance, according to National Sexual Violence Resource Center, in 2019, 38 percent of women and 14 percent of men reported experiences of sexual assault in their workplace. Not just that, according to Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), as of 2015, 14.8 percent of women reported experiencing a completed rape in her lifetime, close to one in every six women. With graphs on Statista, it now appears to be closer to 20 percent, or one in every five women, that report experiencing rape.
These attacks are also targeted at younger women as well, which some believe is a result of the more impressionable brains teenagers have. According to RAINN, “Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.”
Risk for Sexual Assault Based on Age
Yet it is not just the negative depictions that have an impact, Ferguson also found that “positive female role-models eliminate negative effects of sexually violent media.” While this is great news, it begs the question: why are we seeing such harsh effects of violent media? The answer: most consumers do not care for the positive depictions, as they are not interesting enough or they crave the drama. In fact, the depictions of violence against women become more and more violent to keep customers entertained. Said truthfully, businesses are prioritizing profits over morality.
For those reasons, many speak out against the injustices women in our country face daily. Unfortunately, those against the movement attempted to block their cries as misandry by claiming “it’s not all men,” and they are correct; it is not all men. Yet, while it is not all men, it is enough where there are more women who are raped in this country than there are members of the LGBTQ community; residents of Texas; or people who live in Portugal, Greece, Denmark, and Finland combined. So - with that said - would you test your luck? Or as Gilman said: “are gentlemen always safe?”
