This document discusses the persistence of rape culture in the 21st century. It argues that rape culture stems from societal views of masculinity that teach men to assert dominance over women, as well as from the normalization of sexual violence in schools, media, and on college campuses. The document provides statistics on sexual assault and examines how historical views of rape laws, portrayals of gender roles, sexual harassment in schools, and the exploitation of women in media and entertainment have collectively reinforced a culture where rape is tolerated and victims are not believed or supported.

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Huntingdon Area High School
Why Does Rape Culture Still Exist In the 21st Century?
by
Grace G. Cook-Huffman
Grade 11 Research paper
Mrs. Moore
February 3, 2017
The issues of sexual assault do not receive enough attention.Out of all western-nations,

2. the United States has the highest rate of sexual assault (Stoltenberg, 2005). In order to decrease
this horrendous incidence, society must understand the culture in which they live. Men have
been raised to believe that women are the subordinate sex and for centuries women have been
torn apart by mens need to overpower them. This rape culture stems from a variety of factors
including masculinity, sexual harassment in schools, the media, and rape on college campuses.
These components have lead to a society where rape is normalized because society believes boys
will be boys (Katz, 2013), and violence is apart of their makeup. Through realization, education,
and action, society can begin to rectify one of the largest injustices that women face in the twenty
first century.
In order to become better informed, society must understand a definition of rape culture.
Rape culture “is a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports
violence against women. It is a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent”
(Buchwald, Fletcher, & Roth, 2005, pXI). Society has normalized rape, portraying it as
something that is accepted as part of a sexual relationship. From 1983 to 2002, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report documented that 1.8 million women were
raped. In 2002 alone, 19,136 females were raped, 264 per day, or 11 every hour (Buchwald et.
al., 2005). Women are not safe existing in a rape culture because it “condones physical and
emotional terrorism against women and presents it as the norm” (Buchwald, et. al., 2005, p.XI).
Because of the accepted way rape is viewed, a culture of ignorance has developed in the United
States. When society fails to inform people about rape and its severity this ignorance is created.
The idea that rape is acceptable can be seen throughout history with most rape law tracing its
origin to 1736 in Britain (Geis, 2016). In 1736, rape laws did not support the victim. Judges
would tell the jury how hard it was to defend a rape accusation and how easily someone could be

3. convicted, hinting that the victims could easily be lying, which resulted in many guilty men
walking free (Geis,2016). Since the 1700s, women have worked tirelessly to be treated less like
objects and more like human beings. Judges have since become more sympathetic toward
victims of rape, but injustices can still be seen by the short sentences men receive for a crime that
deserves significant punishment. Strides have been made toward understanding what rape is and
what can be done to prevent it, but it will take significant cultural changes before women feel
they have received the justice they deserve and the safety they need.
Not only does one need to understand the definition of rape culture, but how society
understands masculinity. Based on the gender one is assigned at birth, societal expectations
dictate what one should and should not do (Buchwald, 2005,). Men are raised to believe they are
the superior sex, which supports the idea that men rape to assert dominance and power over
women. A man’s identity is fragile and has to fit certain criteria. When boys grow up, they are
taught that their “manhood is measured by power, wealth, and success” (Kimmel, 2005, p.142).
They are given strict guidelines they have to follow and must prove their masculinity or else they
are seen as weak and fragile. This need to feel powerful and masculine through dominance
contributes to why men rape. Some men use their masculinity to humiliate their victims by
urinating or ejaculating on them (Herman, 1984). This dominance fuels men's masculinity and
completes their need to feel superior to the opposite sex. To men, “rape can be viewed as the
logical extension of a cultural perspective that defines men as possessors of women” (Herman,
1984). Men’s need to “rape evolves out of a situation in which normal males feel a need to prove
themselves to be ‘men’ by displaying dominance over females” (Herman, 1984). Men are not
born rapists, but they live in a culture where violence is acceptable and sexuality is violent.
When people think about sexuality they blame humanities sexual desires, but “sexuality is less

4. about biological urges and more about the meaning we attach to those urges” (Kimmel, 2005, p.
142). When men attach violence to sexuality, rape is the inevitable outcome.
The idea that men must overpower women to feel masculine is apparent as early as
elementary, middle, and high school. Even at such a young age, “sexual harassment ranges from
touching, tickling, pinching, patting or grabbing to comments about one's body, sexual remarks,
innuendos, jokes that cause discomfort, obscene gestures, staring, leering, assault, or rape”
(Stein, 2005, p. 65). Sexual harassment in schools causes young boys to believe that treating girls
as objects is acceptable. Furthermore, catcalling and groping contribute to the objectification of
women and the normalization of rape (Herman, 1984). One ongoing issue with rape culture is
that adults choose not to speak out against sexual harassment in schools, which leads to students
having less trust in adults. If students do not believe that adults can help them, they have
nowhere to turn. Students who are sexually harassed are often absent, drop out of school, do not
do well academically, fear being with their peers without an adult present, do not sleep well, or
are depressed (Stein, 2005). To protect students from sexual harassment, one must recognize that
“sexual harassment is a systemic problem; solutions must be systemic as well” (Stein, 2005,
p.69). In order to end sexual harassment in schools, a plan must be established. To eliminate
sexual assault in schools, they must have training programs for staff and students so they can
better understand what sexual harassment is and prevent other students from harassing one
another, supporting conversations through activities and assemblies to further students’
knowledge of sexual harassment, introducing new policies and procedures to the students and
staff so they know what to do when a student is being sexually harassed, and creating positive
role models so students know what respect and kindness looks like (Stein, 2005). Sexual
harassment in schools will not stop until society acknowledges this issue and works to create a

5. safe and friendly environment between male and female students to prevent boys from growing
into men who believe it is acceptable to dominate women.
Rape culture is created and affirmed by a number of factors, but in particular by the
media. The media portrays men’s acts of aggression and the objectification of women as normal.
A media environment full of advertisements that exploit women’s bodies teaches men that
women are sexual objects created to carry out men’s sexual desires. Media also changes the way
aggression and violence are seen. When violent video games like Grand Theft Auto (1997)
allowed players to kill and violate women for points, or when movies show sexual assault as
arousing, people become desensitized to violence towards women and come to see such acts as
another part of life. Because of the way entertainment has desensitized society, violent actions
such as rape and other forms of sexual assault are seen as acceptable. Other forms of media such
as music have also contributed to rape culture. In Robin Thicke’s song, “Blurred Lines,” he sings
about the “blurred lines” between consensual sex and rape. In his song, Thicke sings that men
know what women really want. He sings about a sexual animal inside of women that only men
know how to tame. He argues that even if women deny this sexual animal that , they are not
telling the truth. The lesson of the song is that women are weak and helpless (Buchwald, 2005)
and they should submit to a man’s dominance (Herman, 1984). As people grow up watching
violent shows and playing crude video games, they believe that it is normal for women to be
treated badly. From a young age, boys are told who they are supposed to be and how are they
are supposed to act. Because these actions are supported by the media they are normalized in
society, thus supporting the rape culture in which one lives.
Rape culture leads to a violent and dangerous environment that, in the United States,
significantly affects college campuses. A study done by the Department of Justice in 2000 stated

6. that one in four women have been raped or will be raped in college (Wilhelm, 2015). The most
common form of rape on college campuses is date rape, meaning that women know their rapist.
Men use alcohol and roofies (a date rape drug) to ensure their victims cannot fight back and will
not understand what is happening. In 1985 a study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior collected
data from colleges finding that 76 percent of college rapists used alcohol to weaken and seduce
their victims (Richardson & Shields, 2015). Some men plan their attack and purposefully use
alcohol to seduce their victims. There are fraternities that hold seminars teaching men how to
spike women’s drinks (Kimmel, 2005), but “even when alcohol is not used strategically, it’s
consumption can lead women and men to misinterpret social cues” (Richardson & Shields,
2015). College policies also impact rape culture. Colleges that have fewer rules about alcohol
consumption on campus have higher rates of sexual assaults (between 65 and 100 more reports)
than colleges, which have more rules (Richardson & Shields, 2015). Factors that contribute to
these statistics include whether the campus is dry as well as their visitor policies. A study on
campus sexual assaults shows that between 2011-2013, colleges that banned guests and drinking
on campus saw a 20% increase in sexual assaults; however, campuses with no bans saw an
increase of 47% (Richardson & Sheilds, 2015). The realization of the severity of sexual assaults
on campuses led Barack Obama to start the “It’s on us campaign” (Wilhelm, 2015), in hopes of
bringing awareness of sexual assault onto college campuses and creating safer environments in
which women may live. When women go to college, they should not have to fear roofies in their
drinks or being assaulted by someone they believe to be their friend. Campus communities must
recognize the constant threat of sexual violence that damages women and establish a system to
keep women safe.
So what can one do? Rape culture has been challenged by women and men who see

7. another way to understand sexual relationships. For women, sexuality is often connected to a
sense of safety; women cannot feel safe expressing themselves to men if they fear they will be
overpowered or abused. Men have been told that they must overpower women and control what
women do. Women are challenging men to realize what they believe is wrong. Historically,
women have been viewed as people who make their boyfriends or husbands dinner, do the
housework, and make sure their significant others are always content. Women were not supposed
to be lawyers or politicians (Kimmel, 2005). As women have become equal to men in the
workforce, they are demanding to be equal in all aspects of life. They believe in their right to say
yes or no to sex (Kimmel, 2005), and to be respected by men. Feminists have risen up against
men and are demanding to be treated as equals. Not only do feminists stand up for women's
rights, but they help educate women on how to protect themselves from rapists and other
dangers. Crisis centers have been created, feminists have challenged laws, and protected
women's rights. Feminists have helped to change our legal understanding of rape. The legal
definition of rape is, “sexual intercourse by a male with female, other than his wife, without the
consent of the women and affected by force, duress, intimidation, or deception as to the nature of
the act” (Kimmel, 2005, p.148). Feminists groups pressured states until they changed this law so
that husbands would be held accountable for assaulting or raping their wives (Herman, 1984).
Feminists have also changed the way people approach rape victims. Doctors, police, and other
people involved in the aftermath of a rape have become more sensitive towards the victim. Even
though steps have been taken to help women deal with rape, there are still many psychological
effects that haunt women throughout their lifetime.
Women carry the aftermath of rape with them for the rest of their lives such that “ 31% of
rape victims develop PTSD as a result of their assault” (Dionne & Frey, 2011). Along with

8. developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), women who are raped could be injured before,
during, or after their attack, become pregnant, or contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
from their attacker that they may live with for the rest of their life. After women are sexually
assaulted, they feel confused, withdrawn from social events, nervous, cry frequently, or become
angry and paranoid (Dionne & Frey, 2011). Women feel scared and helpless and do not know
who they can trust. That is why some women who are sexually assaulted do not report their
rapes. They are embarrassed and scared, and some feel that they are to blame for what happened.
Because women fear humiliation and embarrassment, only “one in five adult women report rapes
to the police” (Dionne & Frey, 2011). Women are also afraid to talk about their assaults because
so many trials end with the offender walking free. During trials women feel personally attacked,
humiliated, and guilty (Herman,1984). Women do not feel safe talking about their experiences
because judges and juries do not understand or sympathize with how they feel. Until rape is
treated as a real crime and men are punished for this act, women will not feel safe coming
forward nor will they receive the justice they deserve.As herman recounts, “For many women,
the experience of having their account of the events scrutinized, mocked, or discounted continues
in the courtroom” (Herman, 1984). As long as courts treat rape victims as though they have
committed a crime, our culture will stay fixed on the idea that rape is tolerable.
Rape is an ongoing issue in the United States and “sexual assault occurs every two and a
half minutes” (Donovan, 2006). To decrease this statistic, one must work to prevent
rape.Changing rape culture requires a number of different strategies. First, society must change
its conception of masculinity. The best way to change men’s view of women is to start at a
young age by “raising boys to be nurturing fathers” (Miedzian, 2005, p.167). Raising boys to
grow up treating women with the kindness they deserve will eventually lead these boys to grow

9. into men who respect women and can teach their daughters to be strong willed and resilient. One
must also raise “girls to know their own strengths” (Buchwald, 2005, p.221). Teaching girls how
to protect themselves is an essential way to prevent rape and destroy rape culture. Girls must
learn to be independent, expect respect from their peers, and understand how to protect
themselves from unsafe situations (Buchwald, 2005, p. 221). As a culture, one must also stop
blaming females for their inability to resist rape and instead place the blame on the perpetrator
who sexually assaulted them. Society must be educated about the unsafe environments to which
women are exposed and, building on that education, break through the barriers that separate
women and safety.
Throughout history women have fought and are continuing to fight, for an end to sexual
assault. There are over 300 female students that attend Huntingdon Area High School. Out of
these 300 females, 75 of them will experience sexual assault in college, which is one of the most
demeaning and traumatizing events a person can go through. Society has normalized rape
because people in the US have become desensitized to how horrible and damaging it is. Sigmund
Freud stated that women will not achieve happiness in the society they live in now as measured
by his theory of happiness (Buchwald, 2005, p.213). Based on his theory, “what a women wants,
is what Freud knew is held precious by every man: self-determination, autonomy within reason,
life without undue fear, liberty without causing harm to others, and the ability to pursue one’s
happiness” (Buchwald, 2005, p.213).Women can not achieve this theory if they are living in a
constant fear of being sexually harassed. If society continues to live in this rape culture, no
changes will be seen in the near future. Hundreds of women will continue to be raped daily
without justice on their side. Society must start now to reshape the ideologies of masculinity so
that future generations will live in a nation where rape culture no longer exists and women will

10. finally feel secure.