Understanding Women's Labeling of Unwanted Sexual Experiences With Dating Partners: A Qualitative Analysis

• NCJ Number: 209009
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2005 Pages: 374-413
• Author(s): Melanie S. Harned
• Date Published: March 2005
• Length: 40 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This article is based on a dissertation completed by the author at the University of Illinos at Urbana-Champaign.

Annotation

Qualitative data were used to examine the process by which women decide to label their unwanted sexual experiences with dating partners as sexual abuse or assault, as well as the factors that prevent such labeling.

Abstract

The sample consisted of 3,000 female undergraduates in their sophomore or junior year at a large, Midwestern public university. The sample was ultimately narrowed to include only those women (n=251) who reported an unwanted sexual experience with a dating partner and who completed a useable basic questionnaire followed by responses to open-ended qualitative items about a significant experience. The majority had never been married and were not living with a dating partner. In analyzing the data, the researchers used an inductive approach that allowed them to identify concepts and propositions directly from the data rather than seeking to verify a priori hypotheses. Nearly all of the labelers (n=50) focused on issues of consent to explain why they considered their unwanted sexual experiences to constitute sexual abuse or assault. Three women mentioned their physical resistance as a factor in their decision to label their experience as sexual abuse or assault. Eight women labeled their unwanted sexual experience as abuse or assault because of the negative impact it had on them, such as how it made them feel about themselves and the impact it had on their future relationships. The labeling process was apparently a gradual process, with the amount of time before the labeling occurred being less than 1 week. Impediments to labeling unwanted sexual experiences as abuse or assault included the woman's sense of her own responsibility for what occurred, the tendency to view the perpetrator's actions as unintentional or accidental, the absence of the use of force or physical violence, and because no completed sexual intercourse occurred. 5 tables, 4 notes, and 35 references