CRJ #8

When you think of sexual violence, you first have to think about the construction of gender, because they go hand in hand. Gender is who you identify yourself as, feminine or masculent. Both of these come with different stereotypes and certain ways you are suppose to be. If you are male, you are suppose to be superior, strong, and more powerful than a women. If you are a female, you are suppose to be weaker and under the “power” of men. In terms of sexual violence, women are much more likely to become victims of this kind of harassment. From stalking to rape to physical abuse, women are continuously the primary victims across the board. This trend is due to power relationships. Due to the fact that male’s see themselves as more powerful than women, they believe that by committing acts of sexual violence on a women they have power over them and they enjoy the feeling of that power. They also have grown up in a society in which violence is made to be normal in the way that it is portrayed in video games and movies. Another reason is that men are taught to be tough and not show emotion. Not only does this make it understandable that men are the ones being violent because it is a sign of power and being strong, but it also bring up another problem. Even though statistics show that women have been and continue to be the victims in these kinds of violent acts, that doesn’t necessarily mean that that statistic is one hundred percent true. Since not showing emotion and not showing weakness is suppose to be masculent, it is also possible that if men were victims of violent sexual abuse, they probably would not report it or tell anyone about it. By doing this they are showing that they are weak and someone else had a power over them, and to a male, that is being defeated and they could be considered a “sissy.” Therefore, the statistic is higher on the women’s side because if a male was a victim of sexual violence, it is highly unlikely that they report it and instead, just keep it to themselves.