By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album, and Suzanna Smith, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
Reviewed by Suzanna Smith, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
This post is part of a series recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Learn more at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Facebook page.
Society has long been concerned about the terrible problems of rape and sexual assault. Victims of these devastating crimes can experience serious long-term consequences, including low self-esteem, poor psychological health, and an increase in high-risk behaviors.
But most of us still generally think of sexual violence as something perpetrated by men against women. It’s time to rethink this assumption. Although it’s true that few men report having been raped, there are other types of sexual victimization. In fact, new research suggests that younger men, in particular, do experience other types of sexual coercion, and often the perpetrators are female. Sexual coercion encompasses the use of physical force and rape, but also includes incidents where someone is verbally pressured, threatened, or manipulated into sexual behaviors. Alcohol and drugs can also be used to coerce the victim into sexual activity.
A recent study reported in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity explores this issue. A diverse group of about 280 male high school and college students between the ages of 14 and 26 were asked whether they had experienced various types of unwanted sexual pressure, intimidation, or coercion.
About 40% said that they had had at least one such experience, and in the vast majority of reported cases (95%) the perpetrator was a woman. The most common sexual coercion tactic used was verbal coercion, reported by almost a third. (An example of verbal coercion is when a partner threatens to break up if sex does not occur.) Smaller numbers reported physical coercion and alcohol- and drug-related sexual coercion. Half of these incidents ended in coerced sex, while for 40% the end result was kissing or fondling.
Men and teens who had these experiences reported some negative consequences. Forced sex was linked to drinking more and taking more sexual risks. Other forms of coercion were associated with greater psychological distress.
However, despite these signs of distress, being sexually coerced didn’t seem to lead to lowered self-esteem. The authors suggest that men may interpret these experiences somewhat differently than women.
Though we may find it surprising to learn how common this kind of victimization is, it’s important to bring attention to the problem. It’s crucial for parents of teens and college students of both genders to talk with young people about sexual victimization. Emphasize that it is never okay for anyone to pressure, coerce, or force someone else into any kind of sexual activity, physically or otherwise, and that active consent should always be part of every sexual interaction. To learn more and to think about ways to open this conversation, visit the sites listed under Further Reading below.
(Photo credit: Sexual Assault Awareness by MilitaryHealth. CC BY 2.0.)
Further Reading
- Driver’s Ed for the Sexual Superhighway: Navigating Consent
- Consent and Consensual Sex
- Consent is Sexy
References:
French, B. H., Tilghman, J. D., & Malebranche, D. A. (2014). Sexual coercion context and psychosocial correlates among diverse males. Psychology of Men and Masculinity. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0035915
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