Masculinity And Rape

“I’ve never felt more like a liar than the times I have talked about sexual assault and rape. I’ve never felt more vulnerable, alone, silenced – not in the process of being assaulted, but in the aftermath when I told my family and friends.” These words were written by a college freshman after she had been raped, but they unfortunately resonate with many other survivors. Over 5% of women on college campuses experience rape or attempted rape every year. These women may be described as slut and cheap, as opposed to victim or survivor.

Rape myths encourage these derogatory terms for women and mask the reality of a rape culture. These myths include beliefs such as women who dress or act provocatively are asking for rape, or that women claim they …show more content…
A large part of this is due to the initiation rituals that emphasize masculinity and force any and all feminine characteristics present in the pledges. In addition, many times at fraternity parties there is a sexual dialogue and culture that emphasizes that the sexual exploitation of women is not only a characteristic of masculinity, but also a necessary condition of manhood. Peggy Sanday, author of “Fraternity Gang Rape,” describes an example of one fraternity brother who set sex quotas for different time periods. According to him, the joy of sex was “not just the pleasure from the act, but the feeling of acceptance and approval of my masculinity which goes along with having sex with a new person”. This need for affirmation in someone’s masculinity is a product of hegemonic masculinity’s presence and power in our society. As stated by Bird, “Within the existing gender order, meanings associated with behaviors that challenge hegemonic masculinity are denied legitimation as masculine; such meanings are marginalized, if not suppressed entirely.” In settings, such as in fraternities, these men feel they have to continually legitimate their masculinity in order to be affirmed by those around them who are embracing the idea of hegemonic masculinity and competing for the recognition of being the most …show more content…
These social groups are so tightly knit that they learn from each other and support each other no matter what happens. They maintain secrecy so that nobody reveals the deviant behavior of each other, thus protecting the members of their group and the group’s reputation. As Schwart and DeKeseredy note, “this secrecy tells violent men that their actions are not wrong.” This secrecy allows fraternity brothers and athletes to justify and promote rape, because they have support from their closest friends. Not only will men keep each other’s secrets, but they also approve and encourage these actions. When men are dating women who challenge their power, or refuse to gratify them sexually, their friends tell them to sexually, physically, and psychologically mistreat these women. All three aspects of hyper masculinity: callous sexual attitudes toward women, the belief that violence is manly, and the experience of danger as exciting, are seen in responses such as this, which are supported and encouraged by brothers and teammates. In addition, “Ageton found that over 40% of the perpetrators of adolescent sexual assaults reported that their friends knew about their behavior and that virtually all approved of it or at least expressed indifference”. These statistics show how influential the role of peer support can be and how essential it is to the promotion of a rape