College Women's Experiences of Sexual Coercion: A Review of Cultural, Perpetrator, Victim, and Situational Variables

• NCJ Number: 204952
• Journal: Trauma, Violence, & Abuse Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 91-122
• Author(s): Leah Adams-Curtis; Gordon B. Forbes
• Date Published: April 2004
• Length: 32 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Focusing on work published since 1990 as well as selected earlier papers, this literature review examines factors more relevant to the experience of coercive acts leading to nonconsensual sexual activity among college women.

Abstract

The forms of coercive sexual activity examined ranged from touching and kissing to forced sexual intercourse, with an emphasis on more intrusive sexual acts. The types of coercion noted included verbal pressure, use of drugs or alcohol, and threatened or actual physical force. The article first describes landmark studies of sexual coercion on college campuses, followed by a brief discussion of normative sexual behavior and sexual attitude and beliefs among college students. The article then proceeds to an examination of sexual coercion on college campuses, with attention to the difficulties inherent in the study of sexual coercion. A discussion of the issues of interpretation and consent with regard to sexual coercion is followed by a discussion of the culture of college campuses and its impact on perpetrators, victims, and situational variables that make college students particularly vulnerable to sexual coercion. Some key findings are no significant change in the incidence of sexual coercion on college campuses over the past 50 years, the perception of some types of coercive behavior as normal aspects of sexual negotiations and behaviors, and the confirmation of feminist assertions that rigid gender roles and traditional sexual scripts are major contributors to sexual coercion. After offering recommendations for research, the authors note that significant change in coercive patterns of sexual behavior will require a social movement similar to women's suffrage or the campaign against drunk driving. Only such an intensive focus and action by organized groups will change rigid gender-typed and coercion-supporting sexual scripts. 244 references