Women in modern day American Society are forced to live in a patriarchal society that places the benefits of the man before the well being of a woman. Many times women are walking alone to their cars late at night or jogging through their own neighborhood, and subsequently become targets of sexual assault and often times rape. This astounding realization has many components by which many women are affected. Most women live with a fear of the aggressors and the instances which may place them in vulnerable situations with the aggressor. The aggressor in most of these instances is a male, and such men can often times feel justified under a society that proves to value a patriarchal structure. “The right of men to control the female body is a cornerstone of patriarchy” ( Sheffield 451). Men are excused and in many instances exempt from the responsibility of committing these illegal acts of sexual assault against women. American patriarchal structures shape many women’s fears of sexual violence, as well as the perplexing behaviors in men that lead women to this feeling of inferiority and fear.
Conscious fears that women have as a result of male dominance are apparent in women’s everyday lives. For example, a normal task of doing laundry at a laundromat becomes a situation which a woman may feel unsafe, for “the truth inscribed on the woman’s body is not that biologically, all men are potential rapists. It is rather that, biologically, all women are potential rape victims” (Cahill 9). Often times if a woman is alone and it is dark outside, she will hurry to her car, frantically find her keys, rush and get inside the car to lock the doors. From this point, she will then look around at her surroundings before driving away, in hopes that no one will follow or watch her. The idea that women have to worry about being alone or being watched is a major problem in American society that not only allows men to hold power, but it continues the oppression of women being considered easy targets for sexual violence. This laundromat example is just one of the many instances where women feel a conscious fear of the aggressor, and the way in which males both consciously and unconsciously use the idea of sexual terrorism to frighten women and have them live in a constant fear of being watched and attacked (Sheffield 451-452).
The inferiority that women have due to these situations, contributes to the behaviors that most men exhibit in regards to feeling entitled to control the woman’s body and dominate her entirely. This type of domination can even be found in the workplace, where men are seen as more powerful and justified for holding their management positions than women. This justification relates back to what Simone de Beauvoir discusses in her article “Introduction from the Second Sex,” where she explains that women are not viewed as important or considered primary in the way that men are. “A man is in the right in being a man; it is the woman who is in the wrong” (Beauvoir 76), and this parallels the way that men are excused from sexual assault in society. In the same way, men are viewed as justified for their sexual conquests simply because they are men, and because due to the patriarchal society they are entitled to the body of a woman. These alarming reasons and examples can not only be proven, but there are specific statistics and instances in society that prove the way in which women are blamed as victims and the assaults against them are not seen as an issue but rather apart of an everyday norm; A norm that through the evolution in history has become less and less a heinous crime, and more of a situation that just happens to occur against women. “While the intent of the legal reformers was to insure fairness and equal protection of the law for all involved, thereby correcting some of the more blatant abuses of past legislation, we contend that the effect of many of these changes was to trivialize the offense of rape and to devalue the victim” (Giacopassi and Wilkinson 1). The examination of the numerous statistics of rape cases and the behavior behind the male aggressors committing the rape crimes must be examined and understood. The way in which these male behaviors originally form, and the result of the behaviors is a major force behind the reason women live in conscious fear of the sexual assaulter. Some men are raised in a social structure that does not agree upon the severity of rape or even the degree that men are responsible of such crimes. Dating back as far as 1977, issues regarding women’s sex and body have been viewed as trivial instances that have no importance in society. As Michael Foucault states,
One can always produce the theoretical discourse that amounts to saying: in any case, sexuality can in no circumstances be the object of punishment. And when one punishes rape one should be punishing physical violence and nothing but that. And to say that it is nothing more than an act of aggression: that there is no difference, in principle, between sticking one’s fist into someone’s face or one’s penis into their sex (Cahill 1).
The history of rape has been viewed as a situation that is perceived as simply violence, rather than sexual violence, is a viewpoint that has transcended into American Society today. Although Michel Foucault made these comments in past history, Ann Cahill made a point to revisit such writings to prove the way in which society has always been dominated in biased form by male dominance. The way in which rape has been viewed and the system that protects such acts, is what leads women to conscious fears of being attacked. These fears originate from a place in society where actions speak louder than words, and being that “A woman is raped every five minutes in this country and three out of four American women will be violently, physically, or sexually assaulted in their lifetimes” (Hall 5-6), these findings alone give women the right to have these fears and reasons to watch their surroundings. However, why do women have to rearrange their own lives, when most males who commit these crimes do not? The answer is quite simple, society allows for these crimes to continue and the men who commit these crimes are excused from the consequences or reality of this act of violence, simply because he is a man.
The conflicting views that society alone has on rape, is a contributing cause of the continuation of sexual assault. Men are not perceived as part of the problem, which is mind-boggling because more than likely they are the ones committing these sexual acts of violence against women. Studies show that until men are taught that they are in the wrong, and are forced to understand that they do not have the right to control or have a woman’s body, these problems will persist. Some may even argue that “the problem with this account of rape is that it does not take into account the possibility of good heterosexual sex within a context of patriarchy... It seems unjustifiably cynical to suppose that the mere possibility of the man asserting male privilege is always a meaningful factor in a woman’s decision to participate in heterosexual sex” (Reitan 12). Erica Reitan’s seeks to further understand why men are presumed to view sex as a form of patriarchy, when oftentimes most men just want to have sex. Reitan’s argument is quite valid; however the examination of his argument must be saved for an article that seeks to understand the importance of coercive sex. The meaning behind rape and sexual assault does not allude to, nor envisage any such happenings of coercive sexual relationships, and therefore that is what will further be examined. A 1990's Advertisement for an anti-rape campaign had a message that shapes the public consciousness of the assaulters and this advertisement campaign should be a cornerstone for changes in society in regards to male violence, “Only men can stop rape” (Hall 10), is exactly the measures that societal structures must take in order to decrease the amount of fear in women and the instances of rape occurrences. Rape and sexual violence must no longer be used as a silencing method for patriarchal societal men to continue having power over women, but rather changes must be implemented in the framework by which we live. The slogan “No means No”, has lost its true meaning, and the focal point for society must cease to be about men, and move toward a bettering for both men and women.
The conflicting views that society alone has on rape, is a contributing cause of the continuation of sexual assault. Men are not perceived as part of the problem, which is mind-boggling because more than likely they are the ones committing these sexual acts of violence against women. Studies show that until men are taught that they are in the wrong, and are forced to understand that they do not have the right to control or have a woman’s body, these problems will persist. Some may even argue that “the problem with this account of rape is that it does not take into account the possibility of good heterosexual sex within a context of patriarchy... It seems unjustifiably cynical to suppose that the mere possibility of the man asserting male privilege is always a meaningful factor in a woman’s decision to participate in heterosexual sex” (Reitan 12). Erica Reitan’s seeks to further understand why men are presumed to view sex as a form of patriarchy, when oftentimes most men just want to have sex. Reitan’s argument is quite valid; however the examination of his argument must be saved for an article that seeks to understand the importance of coercive sex. The meaning behind rape and sexual assault does not allude to, nor envisage any such happenings of coercive sexual relationships, and therefore that is what will further be examined. A 1990's Advertisement for an anti-rape campaign had a message that shapes the public consciousness of the assaulters and this advertisement campaign should be a cornerstone for changes in society in regards to male violence, “Only men can stop rape” (Hall 10), is exactly the measures that societal structures must take in order to decrease the amount of fear in women and the instances of rape occurrences. Rape and sexual violence must no longer be used as a silencing method for patriarchal societal men to continue having power over women, but rather changes must be implemented in the framework by which we live. The slogan “No means No”, has lost its true meaning, and the focal point for society must cease to be about men, and move toward a bettering for both men and women.
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