Sex Role Ideology, Relationship Context, and Response to Sexual Coercion in College Females

Women's Experience of Sexual Coercion and Reactions to Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

Sexual coercion is one of the most subtle manifestations of gender-based violence and may profoundly affect victims' sexuality. This research analyzed the association of previous experiences of sexual coercion by an intimate partner (intimate partner sexual coercion [IPSC]) with women's reactions and responses to a scenario of sexual violence. Female college undergraduates (N = 207) completed a computer task in which they watched a video about a couple that ended in a woman having unwanted sex with her male partner. Participants answered several questions about tolerance (risk recognition, risk response, delays in behavioral response, and probability of leaving the relationship). They also responded about their level of commitment to their current partner, as well as their previous experience of sexual coercion. Results showed no differences between victims and nonvictims on the time they took to perceive the situation of sexual violence as threatening (risk recognition). However, victims of current sexual coercion took more time deciding to leave the abusive situation of the video (risk response), required a greater time lag between risk recognition and risk response, and they would be less likely to leave the relationship than victims of past sexual coercion and nonvictims. Finally, commitment predicted later risk recognition and risk response only for victims of past sexual coercion. Overall, the results suggested that previous sexual coercion by an intimate partner and being committed to the relationship may be risk factors associated with the increase of women's tolerance toward situations involving the risk of sexual victimization.

Exploring Definitions and Prevalence of Verbal Sexual Coercion and Its Relationship to Consent to Unwanted Sex: Implications for Affirmative Consent Standards on College Campuses

Campus sexual assault is a pervasive issue impacting the well-being, quality of life, and education of all students. There have been many recent efforts to prevent and address campus sexual assault, most notably the adoption of affirmative consent standards. (1) Efforts to address sexual assault on college campuses through an affirmative consent standard could be undermined by traditional gender norms, sexual scripts, and the power dynamics inherent in heterosexual relations, which lead to situations in which many women provide consent to unwanted sex. (2) Studies indicate that college women are likely to experience verbal sexual coercion, yet research has failed to come to a consensus on how to define, operationalize, and study verbal sexual coercion. (3) Research on sexual consent is also lacking, in particular as it relates to consent to unwanted sex as a result of the presence of verbal sexual coercion. (4) This article discusses how multiple forms of unwanted sex can be conceptually examined. (5) Policy implications and areas for future research are discussed.

"He Didn't Necessarily Force Himself Upon Me, But . . . ": Women's Lived Experiences of Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships With Men

This study examined women's subjective experiences with sexual coercion (SC), particularly less forceful forms, in intimate relationships. In-depth interviews with 12 university women highlighted that physical violence need not be present for SC to be harmful, as many experienced guilt, anger, sadness, and self-blame. The severity of SC and the context of women's relationships affected their interpretations, which in turn affected the effects of SC. Many women not only held negative interpretations of their partners' SC but also minimized and justified. Thus, the interviews were also critically analyzed for the possible influence of dominant discourses and gendered power relations.

Effects of Duration on Perceptions of Teacher Sexual Misconduct

This study explored how respondent gender, gender dyad (male teacher-female student versus female teacher-male student) and duration/frequency (weekly sexual contact over 4 months versus a single incident) affected perceptions of teacher-adolescent student sexual involvement. Respondents were 224 undergraduates (104 men, 120 women) recruited from a psychology research pool. Most (87%) were 18-21 years old, and 59% were Caucasian. Each respondent read one of four scenarios (varied by gender dyad and duration/frequency) depicting a teacher-adolescent student sexual interaction and then completed a series of questions about his or her perceptions. Results indicated that men perceived these experiences less negatively than did women, and the female teacher-male student dyad was viewed less negatively than the male teacher-female student dyad. Relatively few significant interactions emerged, and the only main effect for duration/frequency was for commitment. Results are discussed in terms of the need for more research and education.

Feminine ideology and sexual assault: are more traditional college women at greater risk?

Previous research has not conclusively determined whether traditional femininity increases women's risk for sexual assault. Certain femininity beliefs, such as valuing deference, may increase risk for sexual assault by discouraging sexual refusal assertiveness (SRA). Other femininity beliefs, such as valuing purity, may promote self-protective behaviors. College women (N = 254) provided self-report data on these beliefs, risk and protective behaviors, and sexual assault experiences. Traditional femininity was not directly associated with experiencing sexual assault. However, specific traditional beliefs were related to behaviors directly associated with risk. High SRA and sexual abstinence simultaneously reduced the odds for sexual assault.

The Role of Gender Identity Threat in Perceptions of Date Rape and Sexual Coercion

We experimentally investigated the effects of gender identity threat on men’s and women’s perceptions of date rape and sexual coercion. Results showed that men whose masculinity was threatened responded by blaming the victim and exonerating the perpetrator more, while threatened women respond by blaming male perpetrators more and placing less blame on female victims. Men’s response to threats was more pronounced than women’s, an asymmetry we attribute to the cultural devaluation of femininity. Our findings highlight the significance of masculinity concerns in perceptions of sexual violence and, more generally, the importance of perceiver context in views of violence against women.

Gender differences in cognitive and affective responses to sexual coercion

This study examined gender differences in responses to sexual coercive experiences in mixed-sex (male-female) relationships. Participants were 112 women and 28 men who had experienced sexual coercion and completed measures of cognitive (attributions to self, attributions to the coercer, internal attributions) and affective (guilt, shame) self-blame, trauma symptoms, and upset at the time of the incident) with respect to their most serious or upsetting sexually coercive experience. The women were more upset than were the men at the time of the incident. Contrary to predictions, the men and women did not differ in the extent to which they attributed blame to themselves or the strength of their internal attributions, guilt, or shame. Both the men and women attributed more blame to the coercer than to themselves; however, the women attributed more blame to the coercer than did the men. The women reported more trauma symptoms than the men did which was related to the finding that more women than men had experienced sexual coercion involving physical force. These results are discussed in terms of the similarities and differences between men's and women's cognitive and affective responses to sexual coercion.

Entre negociação e conflito: gênero e coerção sexual em três capitais brasileiras

Este artigo aborda a temática da coerção sexual a partir de dados coletados, entre os anos de 2001 e 2002, pelo inquérito populacional realizado em três capitais brasileiras (Rio de Janeiro, Salvador e Porto Alegre), na etapa quantitativa da pesquisa Gravidez na adolescência: estudo multicêntrico sobre jovens, sexualidade e reprodução no Brasil (GRAVAD). Os resultados aqui apresentados se referem às perguntas do questionário de entrevistas que contemplaram aspectos das práticas de negociação em torno do sexo, as experiências passíveis de serem identificadas como coerção sexual e valores sexuais dos jovens entrevistados. Os informantes eram homens e mulheres, entre 18 e 24 anos. A análise do material aponta a importância dos contextos específicos de interação e das dinâmicas e convenções locais de interação sexual entre os gêneros na configuração de determinados comportamentos enquanto formas de sexo forçado. Busca-se assim relativizar a noção positivada de violência presente em parte da literatura internacional sobre o tema.