Double Standard Male Faces in Sexual Harassment
Document Type:Research Paper
Subject Area:Sociology
Male genders that have faced sexual offenses in some cases have been told that they are lucky enough to have an opportunity of being raped by a woman. In some case, others it is believed that men cannot be raped by women and so they dismiss such cases. Due to the disbelief posted on men when they get assaulted, they don't report assaults because they get shy and choose to keep it to themselves to avoid embarrassment. It is evident that the society has a double standard when judging men when they are raped or assaulted by females. Examples are when a female teacher rapes a student, when a female inmate rape a security guard, or even when the fellow men rape a man. Over the past years, men have been the core perpetrators of sexual assault, this alone has painted the masculinity and their masculine nature under threat where femininity rules.
When a female gets victimized sexually, in many cases the case is usually taken to a female jury and evidence collected and prosecution of the perpetrator becomes instant. The question remains, does this happen when the victim is a male and the perpetrator is a female? Of course, no this is because no one can ever believe that a female can perpetrate sexual assault, not even a male jury. This double standard is the cause of attention as to why this aspect should be explored extensively without defending the male gender but pointing out the threats that are facing boy child in the society. The ultimate goal of highlighting the plight male gender faces from the female sex perpetrators and the society at large is in line with my organization advocacy 1in6 that believes that at least a single boy in 6 have been sexually assaulted by a female.
Traditional gender depicts female as submissive people while men are dominant that can easily initiate sex and go along with it successfully. This is a mother notion that bars women from being viewed as rape perpetrators. The last evidence of double standard in when men become the sex assault victims is a belief in a just world. Belief in a just world elaborates that innocent victim is never present, and that bad thing often happens to bad people (Halvorson, 2016). In the context of the research paper, for the male to become a victim of the sex, they must have done a bad thing that makes them deserve so. Myth acceptance even makes the victims feel intimidated to report the case since the end result is the blame put on the victim (Sleath & Bull, 2010).
The 1in6 organization is also aware that men face a rough time in expressing themselves or reporting the rape cases and thus has set an online forum where the victim can discuss their confidential information on rape. There is also a 24/7 online help to the victim who might find it hard to make a physical report to the relevant authorities. Another key evidence of double standard in the male sexual assault is the belief in a just world where the society believes that for a man to be raped, and then he had a bad character or did an adverse thing that makes him deserve such bad deeds. This evidence is based on the hypothesis that male who are raped must have been promiscuous in one way or another. The 1in6 organization recognizes the feminist theory in men rape and has suggested perfect measures to solve the trauma men encounter after such experiences.
Barriers limiting the success of men from recovering after a shock of rape are being dealt with accordingly by the 1in6 organization. The stereotype in male rape Gender stereotypes consider men to be masculine and thus to be the leading role in society, using strength and possessing manly behavior always. Female, on the other hand, are expected to be feminine in nature, have submissive characters and refrain from violent activities. As far as this stereotypic way of thinking is concerned, the female is expected to be the only victim of rape since they are weak. The move is going well and a good example is when a woman was charged with statutory rape and child molestation in Georgia (Hansen, 2018). Historical interpretation of the issue Historically, male rape cases have been rare in the society owing to the fact that only a few are reported to the relevant institutions.
It is evident that gender stereotype and stigmatization has led to a historical event that promotes a double standard in male rape victimization. These historical events have contributed greatly to the dismissal of male persons every time they try to report the rape issue. Gender stereotype, for instance, expects men to be more vigilant and be the rape perpetrator but not the victim. Another significant sociology theory that depicts the double standard male faces in rape cases is social disorganization theory, this theory argues that deviant behavior for instance rape as of our case reflects a condition that disrupts the integrity and the organization of the society. There are a number of crimes that are categorized to create this disruption and one of them is rape. This means that it should be termed as a serious crime from both genders i.
e. whether committed by a male or a female, it is a crime. It should be clear that all genders are at risk of rape and in such a case they should be treated equally. The 1in6 organization is moving forward to make a substantial move on male to protect this noble gender from rape harm and to ensure that they have the courage to report and accept themselves after an assault. Gender stereotype, however, tends to hamper the male desire to get justice in a time of the rape. The society needs men to be stronger and thus often get ignored when they report rape cases. Social changes are however taking charge to transform the men plight into a reasonable solution. Mortality Salience, Women in Power, and Rape Myth Acceptance (Doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Kraemer Family Library). Hansen, Z. North Georgia woman charged with statutory rape, child molestation. Retrieved from https://www. A community psychology of men and masculinity: Historical and conceptual review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45(1-2), 73-86. O'Mochain, R. Male Directed Sexual Violence in Conflict: A Challenge for Gender Studies. Masculinities & Social Change, 7(1), 1-24. A review of the literature relating to rape victim blaming: An analysis of the impact of observer and victim characteristics on attribution of blame in rape cases. Aggression and violent behavior, 19(5), 523-531.
From $10 to earn access
Only on Studyloop
Original template
Downloadable
Similar Documents