Paper #2 Sexual Assault

Mae Weise
GWS-220W

GWS Paper 2 – Sexual Assault on Women in America and Sweden

In the United States and Sweden, the issues regarding sexual assault are becoming more recognized than they were in previous decades. Sexual assault on women is a global issue that affects United States and Sweden differently due to certain economic, social and legal gender empowerment, along with cultural upbringing. The topics regarding sexual assault that were most commonly discussed include; which women are affected most, psychological effects, laws that have been enforced for limitation, and how sexual violence should cause corrective action in national security. Whether one has been sexually assaulted at a young age, or has encountered it later in life, it can severely render the way one lives their life. Due to the effects and relevancy of sexual assault, there have been legal standards to prevent such instances. On the other hand, due to the pride of organizations, families and countries, people at times want to hide this sort of misconduct.
Sexual assault can vary from rape/attempted rape to any type of physical contact without the person’s consent. Of the many different forms of sexual assault, the most common ones include forced sexual intercourse, sodomy, child molestation, and incest, fondling and attempted rape (Boykins, 2007). According to a study, one in every six women above the age of 18 has been raped at some point in their lifetime (Boykins, 2007). That statistic doesn’t include other types of sexual assault or unreported violence. Unfortunately, according to a study done in Sweden, the police and legal system do not give proper support towards the victims of rape or sexual assault. More positive results come from friends and families of the victims rather than the police (Davidsson, 2009). Severe sexual assault can be life threatening and lead to pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and long-term psychological effects. It is important that any women who have been sexually assaulted goes to the hospital immediately to get examined. By doing so it makes sure the women is being taken care of properly and then they are able to run tests to help identify the perpetrator (Boykins, 2007).
Emotional effects attributed to sexual assault include anger, fear, depression, anxiety, irritability, lowered self-esteem, humiliation, alienation, helplessness, and vulnerability. Studies have shown that posttraumatic stress symptoms have been the best indicator on who has been sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Posttraumatic stress disorder includes symptoms of sleep disturbance and physiological arousal (Collinsworth, 2009). The severity of one’s emotional distress has been linked to the perpetrators emotions also. Sexual Assault has seen to be more prevalent by acquaintances than strangers in both America and Sweden. The outcomes of the victim have been linked to the perpetrators severity, frequency, power, vulnerability, and attributions while assaulting the victim (Collinsworth, 2009). Emotional trauma is typically presented later in life with sexual assault victims. Severe phobias and disorders have been correlated to sexual assault. Also, mood disorders, and self-guilt are very well associated with being sexually assaulted. (Mclindon, 2011). These severe consequences are very unfair to the victims who did not have any control over being abused. This type of emotional distress can be helped and monitored through therapy and the right medication if need be.
In Sweden, the number of reported rapes is by far the highest in the European Union (Bennhold, 2010). Recent statistics are showing that the number of reported rape incidents in Sweden is five times more than what was reported three decades ago. This change is a result of the change in the legal definition of rape, women’s willingness to confess and an increase in rape cases. In Sweden the frequency of reporting rape is 8% where is in the U.S. the frequency is 15% (Davidsson, 2009). Both percentages are very low which signifies that the number of women being raped is much higher due to the lack of reporting the crimes. Many women may feel severe emotional effects caused by the sexual abuse which may lead them to not want to report the crime. However, in order to get adequate care it’s very important that they do so. Countries globally need to find a solution to help women feel more comfortable about reporting sexual abuse.
In contrast to American patterns, Sweden’s males and females aren’t as likely to have sexual violence with their intimate partners, partially due to their sex education while growing up. In Sweden, sex education programs in schools are extensive and comprehensive. They are persistent on the idea said by the Swedish National Board of Education that states “Nobody is entitled to regard and treat another human being simply as a means for selfish gratification” (Lottes, 1997). This differs from America because much of the sex education is centered on birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.
Sexual Coercion towards females in The United States and Sweden is an act of male dominancy and authority. The culture in America’s society enables women to be kind and submissive and men to take control; this has led to certain males to feel sexual empowerment over women. In contrast, Sweden has been pursing policies to support gender equality since WWII, and is known as a country that promotes equal sexual experiences between the male and female (Lottes, 1997). In In the United States, sexual assault is an issue for a woman that arises more commonly after either the victim or perpetrator has been drinking. In a study of 119 women, over 50% of sexual assault victims indicated that either there partner and/or they were using alcohol at the time of the assault (Busch, 2010). The setting where it takes place plays a big role too. This may be why sexual assault is heard of near college campuses very often in America. However, in Sweden there is no research found on the sexual violence rates at universities. A large factor that causes such a difference in the setting of sexual violence in these two countries is due to the great amount of dating violence in the United States. However, in both America and Sweden the odds of having sexual assault violence increased with the increase in number of sex partners (Lottes, 1997). These variables show a relation in who is more susceptible to sexual assault in either country and in what type of setting such instances may occur.
Recently, more and more women have been joining the workforce in the U.S. which causes a change in attitude by their male co-workers. In our work environment and the health care industry around the world, there are approximately 15,000 sexual harassment claims filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission yearly (Strate, 2009). The EEOC is a federal enforcement agency that ensures that employers abide by the regulations regarding workplace discrimination. Women in Sweden are said to have more institutional power than women in the United States (Lottes, 1997).
As for the legal aspects of sexual misconduct, there have been prior acts and laws issued by the government that have been violated which have led to more laws against sexual assault. People in Sweden have been lobbying for stricter sexual assault laws that expand the situation in which a woman is raped. These protests argue that even if a woman doesn’t say no to sex but clearly insists her opposition in other ways that it should still be defined as rape (Bennhold, 2010). Therefore, this caused the laws to be extended for legal enforcement for certain rape cases. In the United States, The Civil Rights Act of 1991 was designed to establish further laws regarding sexual harassment after a woman named Anita Hill brought charges against Supreme Court nominee. In order to violate this act the employee must prove that there were unwelcome sexual advances, the harassment was based on sex, the gestures effected job duties and that the victim was of a lower rank in job status than the perpetrator (Strate, 2009). The second component of The Civil rights act of 1991 has to do with whether the sexual assault constitutes a hostile work environment. In both Sweden and America, these laws in the recent decades have been revised to further pinpoint and make corrective action for cases of sexual assault.
National security is at threat by the world not giving recognition to conflicts regarding rape and sexual assault. “Conflict related sexual violence is often employed to destabilize, terrorize, and humiliate communities.” This signifies that sexual violence can be a peace and security matter at times. In accordance to international affairs, there were patterns of rape and conflict, one of them being “sexual assault alongside looting and intimidation (Anderson, 2010.)” These references recognize that sexual assault has been used as a method of black-mail and threat in conflicts of war. In the article about sexual violence and international peace, they refer to sexual violence as “history’s great silences.” Sexual assault is spoken lightly about in the world when it comes to war and politics. It’s very often unseen and invisible. The world doesn’t respond the same to rape as they do with landmine injuries. Although there have been lots of effort to enforce peace and security within each nation, sexual assault still remains widespread (Anderson, 2010). People in charge of national security need to start prioritizing to notice and react to the sexual violence impacted on women.
Sexual assault is a topic that has a great impact on women but is often unreported and lightly touched upon. The high prevalence of sexual assault in Sweden and America is caused by variations in societal and cultural factors. The long-term extremities of the emotional impact of sexual assault range from self-esteem issues to major psychological diseases such as schizophrenia. People of Sweden tend to have better relationship ethics due to the heavy emphasis on sex education and morals (Lottes, 1997). The United States should incorporate these teachings into their sexual education programs in order to lower the amount of sexual violence within interpersonal relationships. The theory of nationalism is patriotic feeling, principles or effort but it does a good job of hiding the misconduct and emphasizing the “pride.” By this I mean, every country tries to keep the problems of sexual assault invisible while focusing on the more obvious catastrophes of war such as bombing. While doing so I think each country is leaving their women with a disadvantage. America and Sweden should make sexual assault issues more apparent in order for women to feel secure and protected. Furthermore, if they paid close attention to practices and concepts that improve the ratios of sexual assault in each other’s countries than it could help lower the risk of being sexually assaulted.


Bibliography

Anderson, L. (2010). Politics by Other Means: When does Sexual Violence Threaten International Peace and Security?. International Peacekeeping (13533312), 17(2), 244-260. doi:10.1080/13533311003625134
Bennhold, K. (2010, December 07). In sweden, sex assault gets little tolerance. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/world/europe/08sweden.html
Boykins, A. D., & Mynatt, S. (2007). ASSAULT HISTORY AND FOLLOW-UP CONTACT OF WOMEN SURVIVORS OF RECENT SEXUAL ASSAULT. Issues In Mental Health Nursing, 28(8), 867-881. doi:10.1080/01612840701493394
Busch-Armendariz, N., DiNitto, D. M., Bell, H., & Bohman, T. (2010). Sexual Assault Perpetrators' Alcohol and Drug Use: The Likelihood of Concurrent Violence and Post-Sexual Assault Outcomes for Women Victims. Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs, 42(3), 393-399.
Collinsworth, L. L., Fitzgerald, L. F., & Drasgow, F. (2009). IN HARM'S WAY: FACTORS RELATED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS FOLLOWING SEXUAL HARASSMENT. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 33(4), 475-490. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2009.01525.x
Davidsson, J., Benjaminsson, G., Wijma, B., & Swahnberg, K. (2009). Association between experiencing rape, police reporting, and self-reported health among women visiting three gynecology clinics in Sweden. Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 88(9), 1000-1005. doi:10.1080/00016340903147397
Lottes, I. L., & Weinberg, M. S. (1997). Sexual Coercion Among University Students: A Comparison of the United States and Sweden. Journal Of Sex Research, 34(1), 67-76.
McLindon, E., & Harms, L. (2011). Listening to mental health workers' experiences: Factors influencing their work with women who disclose sexual assault. International Journal Of Mental Health Nursing, 20(1), 2-11. doi:10.1111/j.1447-0349.2010.00697.x
Strate, J. M., Tae Hwa, J., & Leidlein, J. (2009). Sexual Harassment!. Public Integrity, 12(1), 61-75. doi:10.2753/PIN1099-9922120105