Jessica B.

Goodwin

AP English Literature & Composition

Angela Wilson

08 May 2017

Rape Culture and the School System

Thesis: In order to reduce the numbers of sexual assault in higher education, as well

as society itself, public schools should implement a better curriculum of sex education

and affirmative consent education.

I. Rape Culture
A. Definition of Rape Culture
B. Rape Statistics
II. Causes of Rape Culture
A. Gender Roles
B. Toxic Masculinity
C. Hypersexual Society
D. Loose Definition of What Rape Is
III. Consequences of Rape Culture
A. Victim Blaming
B. Feminization of Rape
C. Normalization of Rape
IV. Early Education and Affirmative Consent Education
A. Affirmative Consent Education
B. Early Sex Education
V. Sex Education in North Carolina
A. The Current Sex Education Curriculum in North Carolina
B. The Flaws in the Current Sex Education Curriculum in North

Carolina
VI. Conclusion
 Rape Culture and the School System

Education is crucial to the development of children, society, and humanity as a

whole. It is the citizens responsibility to ensure that a fair, equal, and safe education is

offered to all who seek it. Today, educational environments, especially those of higher

education, are breeding grounds for sexual assault and rape. A college education is a

necessary extension into the professional world. Public universities report anywhere

from seventy-eight sexual assault cases, from the University of California Berkeley, to

two hundred and five cases, from University of Virginia (The Hunting Ground). These

numbers do not include those cases that go unreported or undocumented. The numbers

of these sexual assault cases are so high due to a lack of clear understanding of what

consent is and what consent is not. In order to reduce the numbers of sexual assault

cases in higher education, as well as society itself, public schools must implement a

better curriculum of sex education and affirmative consent education.

To better understand why sexual assault and rape is so prevalent in learning

environments, there must be a close inspection of why sexual assault and rape thrive in

society today. The present American society is plagued by rape culture. Rape culture is

characterized by a society or environment where rape and sexual violence are common,

normalized, and even excused in popular culture and in the media (Rape Culture,

Victim Blaming, and The Facts). Grasping the grim reality of rape culture in American

society begins with understanding a few statistics about sexual assault survivors and its

perpetrators. Statistics for rape and sexual assault can lend some insight into the issue

of rape culture. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, often

referred to as RAINN, one in six women and one in thirty-three men will have
experienced attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime. For school-age

children, the statistics are not much better. Thirty-four percent of those sexually abused

during their school career will be under the age of twelve at the time of their abuse.

Teenage girls ranging in age from sixteen to nineteen are four times as likely to be

victims of sexual assault than the general population (Statistics). The more common

rape and sexual assault becomes, the more desensitized society becomes to the issue

of rape culture.

There is a common misconception that perpetrators of sexual assault and rape

are people that the victims do not know, this is called stranger rape. Although stranger

rape is a very real occurrence, there is a prevailing misunderstanding that the majority

of perpetrators of sexual assault are strangers to the victims. In actuality, the amount of

sexual violence performed by strangers is low. Stranger perpetrators of female victims

only made up 13.8 percent of overall perpetrators, while they make up 15.1 percent of

overall offenders of male victims (Sexual Violence: Facts at a Glance). The majority of

sexual violence survivors know their attackers. Seventy percent of sexual assault

perpetrators are close friends, relatives, significant others, or acquaintances of survivors

(Statistics). Not all cases are reported or documented, resulting in some discrepancies

between the actual numbers and the statistics available. It is important to keep in mind

that many sexual assault and rape cases go unreported for a plethora of reasons.

These reasons can range from an inability to report the abuse due to age or mental

capacity, to the fear of judgement and blame many survivors of rape face when they

report.
 There are a myriad of factors that contribute to the formation of rape culture in a

society. Traditional gender roles, toxic masculinity, hypersexualilty in society, along with

a loose definition of what constitutes as rape and sexual assault are the main

precedents of a rape culture, especially in modern American society. Gender roles are

defined as the way people act, what they do and say, to express being a girl or boy, a

woman or man by Planned Parenthood (Gender & Gender Identity). Characteristics

of gender are reinforced by society, influencing how gender is expressed. It is important

to keep in mind that perceptions of traditional gender characteristics and roles greatly

differ across different cultures. American society has traditionally categorized gender

into two distinct groups based off of the biological sexes: girl and boy. Cultural

stereotypes defining what are and are not acceptable behaviors of the genders can

attribute to rape culture. Boys and men are expected to be the independent and

aggressive leaders in their social spheres, while girls and women are urged to be

submissive and dependent. This creates a dangerous phenomena known as toxic

masculinity. Socialization of men in America has deprived them of the ability to express

emotions - the expression of emotions is typically associated with women - resulting in

higher risks of mental illness and likelihood to become violent (Unlearning Toxic

Masculinity: Health Promotion). The result of toxic masculinity and gender roles, is a

hostile society that encourages violence.

In addition to gender roles and toxic masculinity, a hypersexual society with loose

definitions of sexual assault and consent create the perfect environment for rape culture

to run rampant. Hypersexual societies put intense emphasis on sexuality and sexual

acts themselves. It is commonplace for individuals, particularly women, in a

hypersexual society to viewed and treated as sexual objects (Hypersexualization of

Young Girls: Why Should We Care). Hypersexualization and sexual objectification of

women in media encourages and even normalizes violence against women. Although

hypersexualization appears to be a strictly female issue, when combined with gender

stereotypes and toxic masculinity, men are also affected. In a society plagued by

hypersexualization, men are expected to be sexually active and aggressive (Not An

Object: On Sexualization and Exploitation of Women and Girls.). This being paired with

the effects of toxic masculinity, reinforces the idea that obtaining sex is masculine. Many

people do not understand or know what sexual assault and rape actually is. In a study

conducted by the United Nations in 2012, it was found that many sexually active adults

have not been taught what consent or sexual assault actually is (What We Can Learn

From The Largest International Study On Rape That's Been Conducted So Far.). This

finding proves how important consent and sexual education are in the efforts to combat

rape culture.

The consequences of rape culture seem to be apparent; the more subliminal and

prevalent rape culture is in a society, the more cases of rape and sexual assault will

surface. This statement is true, however the effects of rape culture do not end at the act

of sexual violence. Due to the fact that toxic masculinity and gender roles play a major

role in the formation of a rape culture, sexual assault and rape is oftentimes viewed as

solely a female issue. As previously stated, one in thirty-three men are victims of sexual

abuse in their lifetime (Statistics.). Men who are victims of rape and sexual assault

rarely report due to the attitudes of a hypersexual society. Psychotherapist Elizabeth

Donovan states that Males have the added burden of facing a society that doesnt
believe rape can happen to them at all. in a CNN article (Against His Will: The

Reality of Male Rape.). The feminization of rape causes many to feel as if their assault

was not valid and discourages them to report. Another outcome of rape culture is victim

blaming. This occurs when a victim of sexual abuse comes forward with their abuse and

society discredits the victim. When victim blaming takes place, members of society ask

questions such as how much did they have to drink, or what were you wearing, to

shift the cause of the rape to the victims own actions instead of the rapists invasion.

Victim blaming discourages victims of sexual abuse from coming forward and reporting,

while blurring the lines as to what constitutes as rape. These factors help normalize

rape and sexual assault in unusual ways. The emergence of rape jokes, songs

glorifying rape, and celebrities who do not face punishment for rape are just a few of the

many effects the normalization of rape and rape culture has on a society.

The fight to end rape culture and cut back on the amount of rape and sexaul

assaults endured by society seems like an improbable feat due to rape cultures deeply

rooted history in modern America. However, there is a very simple solution that can help

prevent present and future generations lessen the effects of rape culture: earlier and

more coherent sexual education and affirmative consent education courses in public

schools. In the fall of 2016, an estimated fifty million students attended public schools

(Fast Facts: Elementary and Secondary Education. ). Out of these fifty million

students, those in twenty-seven of the fifty states will only be taught abstinence-only

sexual education courses. These courses are federally funded through Title V,

discouraging states from teaching their students how to have safe and consensual sex

(What's Going on in My State with Sex Education and Abstinence-Only Programs?).

The problem of rape is not being addressed. Children and adolescents should go

through their schooling career fully understanding what consent is and how to form

healthy relationships, even healthy sexual relationships. Teaching affirmative consent

and sex education in schools to children from an early age will only help increase

societys understanding of safe and consensual sex.

Consent is most commonly taught as no means no. This teaching seems to

make sense, but upon further inspection, it proves to add fuel to the raging fire that is

rape culture. By teaching students that no means no, students are lead to believe that

they only have to listen for a clear no when engaging in sexual acts, leaving the door

open for misinterpretation. A majority of college students believe that nonverbal cues,

such as nodding or removing clothes, indicates consent. Holly Copeland, a recent

college graduate, stated that a nod can be miscommunicated and misunderstood.

(College Students Remain Deeply Divided over What Consent Actually Means.).

Copelands point is verified by the many cases of rape where a victim is reportedly

silent, due to shock or unconsciousness, and the perpetrator misunderstands the

silence as consent due to an absence of a no. Affirmative consent eliminates confusion

by replacing no means no, with a yes means yes. This approach teaches students

that without a clear and verbal yes, one should not proceed with any sexual acts.

Currently, only two states teach this method, California and New York (Yes Means

Yes.). Teaching students affirmative consent results in better understanding of consent

and consensual sex, lessening the effects of rape culture.

In addition to affirmative consent, students must be taught about sex. Sex

education programs in a majority of states focuses solely on teaching abstinence in high

school (What's Going on in My State with Sex Education and Abstinence-Only

Programs?). While living in a world where adolescents do not have intercourse is ideal,

it is not realistic. A 2015 survey found that forty-one percent of United States high school

students have had sexual intercourse. The same study found that of those who have

had sexual intercouse in the past three months, forty-three percent of those adolescents

did not use a condom while twenty-one percent had not been sober during their sexual

encounter (Sexual Risk Behaviors: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention.).

Elizabeth Schroder, a sexuality educator at two renowned universities feels that

unhealthy sexual behaviors can have their origins in insufficient early education, and

that a more holistic approach to sexuality education can eventually lead to healthier

attitudes toward sex and relationships. ("When Should Kids Start Learning About Sex

and Consent?"). She and many others feel as if students would better benefit from a

curriculum of age-appropriate sex education material that begins in kindergarten.

Exposing children to sex education at a young age is highly controversial. Some parents

and educators feel as if exposing children to sex at a young age will cause sexual

irresponsibility as the children grow older. However there is no proof supporting that

fear. As an example, kindergarteners would learn about boundaries and their bodies

while first graders would learn about friendships and gender roles ("When Should Kids

Start Learning About Sex and Consent?"). This format for sex and affirmative consent

education would greatly benefit students as they learn about safe sex and consent, as

well as helping prevent the spread of rape culture.

In years previous to 2010, North Carolina taught abstinence-only sex education

courses in public schools. This changed under the Healthy Youth Act. The Healthy Youth
Act requires local public schools in North Carolina to provide students with reproductive

and safety education, while allowing parents to review materials being covered, and

allowing parents to remove their children from the program (Healthy Youth Act FAQs.).

While this curriculum appears to cover safe sex and affirmative consent, it does not

delve as deeply as it should. In law 115c-81, passed by the North Carolina General

Assembly, schools are required to provide factually accurate biological or pathological

information that is related to the human reproductive system. ("State Policies on Sex

Education in Schools."). This law allows public schools eliminate the teachings of

consent and sexual assault by requiring biological reproduction to be the main source of

study. Current North Carolina curricula for sex education is very exclusive, meaning the

focus on sex as a means of reproduction leaves out members of the LGBTQ

community. Lack of inclusivity and consent education within North Carolinas sex

education programs greatly impact the amount of unsafe sex and cases of sexual

abuse.

Early sex education paired with affirmative consent education prove to provide

students with the tools to make informed decisions about their sexual lives as well as

decrease the horrible effects of rape culture. Students who learn about safe sex and

affirmative consent from an early age are found to have healthier relationships as they

get older, as well as helping them identify unhealthy relationships (When Should Kids

Start Learning About Sex and Consent?"). Learning about consent and sex from a

young age helps students grasp the ideas of safe and consensual sex before they form

unhealthy sexual behaviors. Early sex education and affirmative consent education

simultaneously combat rape culture while educating and protecting students from
unhealthy behaviors. North Carolina, as well as other states, would greatly benefit from

adopting this method of sex and consent education for their public school systems.

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