Tag: sexual

Few Claims Ever Reach A Courtroom, Yet Women Frequently Experience Sexual Harassment At Work
POLITICS, WORK

Few Claims Ever Reach A Courtroom, Yet Women Frequently Experience Sexual Harassment At Work

Sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, including at least three from current or former aides, are a reminder of just how commonplace unwanted touching, propositioning and other inappropriate behavior is in the workplace. My recent research explores the prevalence of toxic work environments – like the one described in Albany, New York – and just how startlingly common sexual harassment at work is. I discovered that even when women try to find justice by suing their alleged abusers, their cases rarely see a courtroom. An all-too-common experience My own extensive review of numerous studies, surveys and reports shows that sexual harassment at work is a very common occurrence for women, regardless of age or income level. The numerous studies and surveys reveal tha...
Among College Students Alcohol Is Becoming More Common In Sexual Assault
SOCIETY, WOMENS ISSUES

Among College Students Alcohol Is Becoming More Common In Sexual Assault

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea One out of every three. That is the number of women in college who say they have been a victim of sexual assault either when they were in high school or college. That’s according to my new peer-reviewed research in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, which is based on survey data from 2015. That figure is significantly higher than it was in the mid-1980s when I conducted the first such national survey of college students at 32 institutions. Back then, the number was one out of every four. Of these incidents, 75% involved victims who admitted they were incapacitated by alcohol at the time of the assault. In the mid-1980s, that number stood at 50%. For the study, sexual assault was defined consistently wit...
In A ‘World Of Predators’ Military Sexual Assault Survivors And Advocates Demand Accountability
ENVIRONMENT

In A ‘World Of Predators’ Military Sexual Assault Survivors And Advocates Demand Accountability

If you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 online or at 1-800-273-8255. And anyone affected by sexual assault, whether it happened to you or someone you care about, can find support on the National Sexual Assault Hotline online or at 1-800-565-4673.  Everything had been done right. With the help of her lawyer, Jane, a 22-year-old member of the Nevada National Guard, secured a civilian protection order in January 2020 to protect her from her attacker. The judge checked the “sexual assault” box, explicitly acknowledging the crime. But the legal victory didn’t fix everything. Jane, who remains on active duty, is being identified with a pseudonym because she still fears professional and personal r...
Essential Reads About Sexual Harassment And Discrimination In Gaming And Tech – Microsoft Purchase Of Activision Blizzard Won’t Clean Up Gamer Culture Overnight
IN OTHER NEWS, TECHNOLOGY

Essential Reads About Sexual Harassment And Discrimination In Gaming And Tech – Microsoft Purchase Of Activision Blizzard Won’t Clean Up Gamer Culture Overnight

Microsoft announced on Jan. 18, 2022, its intention to purchase video game giant Activision Blizzard. The company, publisher of top-selling video games Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush, has been the subject of a series of sexual discrimination and harassment complaints. A day before Microsoft’s announcement, Activision Blizzard announced that it has fired “nearly 40 employees” since July following an investigation into hundreds of reports from employees of misconduct. California sued Activision Blizzard in July 2021, alleging a “pervasive ‘frat boy’ culture” at the company and discrimination against women in pay and promotion. The suit prompted a walkout by company employees who demanded that the company address the problem. The turmoil is an echo of the infamous Gamergate...
Sexual Harassment And Discrimination In Gaming And Tech – The Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Shows Gamer Culture Still Has A Long Way To Go
Journalism

Sexual Harassment And Discrimination In Gaming And Tech – The Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Shows Gamer Culture Still Has A Long Way To Go

Eric Smalley, The Conversation Sexual harassment in gamer culture burst back into the spotlight on July 21, 2021, with news of California’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, publisher of top-selling video games Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush, and a walkout by company employees. The lawsuit alleges a “pervasive ‘frat boy’ culture” at the company and discrimination against women in pay and promotion. The turmoil is an echo of the infamous Gamergate episode of 2014 that featured an organized online campaign of harassment against female gamers, game developers and gaming journalists. The allegations are also of a piece with a decadeslong history of gender discrimination in the technology field. We’ve been covering sexual harassment and gender discrimination in gaming – a...
1 real-world way to prevent sexual exploitation – 4 myths debunked – Sex trafficking isn’t what you think
SOCIETY

1 real-world way to prevent sexual exploitation – 4 myths debunked – Sex trafficking isn’t what you think

Corinne Schwarz, Oklahoma State University The idea that sex trafficking is an urgent social problem is woven into American media stories, from reports of Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz’s alleged trafficking of teenage girls to debunked QAnon conspiracy theories about a sexual slavery ring run through online retailer Wayfair. The common perception of sex trafficking involves a young, passive woman captured by an aggressive trafficker. The woman is hidden and waiting to be rescued by law enforcement. She is probably white, because, as the legal scholar Jayashri Srikantiah writes, the “iconic victim” of trafficking usually is depicted this way. This is essentially the plot of the “Taken” movies, in which teenage Americans are kidnapped abroad and sold into sexual slavery. Such concerns f...
Male Infertility And Sexual Dysfunction Could Be Caused By COVID-19 – But Vaccines Do Not
HEALTH & WELLNESS

Male Infertility And Sexual Dysfunction Could Be Caused By COVID-19 – But Vaccines Do Not

Ranjith Ramasamy, University of Miami Contrary to myths circulating on social media, COVID-19 vaccines do not cause erectile dysfunction and male infertility. What is true: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, poses a risk for both disorders. Until now, little research has been done on how the virus or the vaccines affect the male reproductive system. But recent investigations by physicians and researchers here at the University of Miami have shed new light on these questions. The team, which includes me, has discovered potentially far-reaching implications for men of all ages – including younger and middle-aged men who want to have children. What the team found I am the director of the Reproductive Urology Program at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. My col...
Inside The Messy Psychology Of Sexual Double Standards – Cheating’s OK For Me, But Not For Thee
SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

Inside The Messy Psychology Of Sexual Double Standards – Cheating’s OK For Me, But Not For Thee

David M. Buss, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts Sexual double standards – in which women and men are judged differently for the same sexual behavior – will probably sound familiar to most people. The classic one centers on multiple sexual partners: Men who are promiscuous are lauded as “studs,” “lotharios” or “ladies’ men,” while women who have a lot of sex get called “sluts” or “whores.” Men who cheat on their wives aren’t exactly praised, but they’ll often get a pass. Women who do the same, on the other hand, risk sullying their social reputations. There’s a different sexual double standard, however, and it’s one that exists between two partners. In my new book, “When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault,” I spend so...
Less than one-fifth of reported rapes and sexual assaults lead to arrests
Journalism

Less than one-fifth of reported rapes and sexual assaults lead to arrests

As experts in criminology and the justice system, we were surprised to learn that a jury voted to convict Harvey Weinstein on two counts of rape and sexual assault. This surprise was based on our more than a decade of research on the attrition of sexual assault cases from the criminal justice system. CC BY-ND We know that most victims of sexual assault never report their attack to the police. For those that do report, the probability of arrest and prosecution of their assailant is small. In fact, the overwhelming majority of cases reported to the police do not end in conviction, as evidenced by our recent research on sexual assaults reported to the police in six jurisdictions across the United States. We found that many cases drop out at the investigation stage, with only 18.8% of rape...
Sexual Violence And The Confederate Flag
SOCIAL JUSTICE

Sexual Violence And The Confederate Flag

As a Black woman born in Louisiana, I was elated by NASCAR’s and the U.S. Navy and Marine’s decision to ban the Confederate flag because those are three fewer places where a flag that represents systematic torture is flown. Supporters of the stars and bars love to argue that the flag stands for rebellion, and that flying the flag is not “about slavery,” but about the pride of being from the South. However, the flag makes me think of something else: violence—sexual violence, in particular. It reminds me of Sam, Louisa, Ann, Henrietta, and Florence, who refused to let their trauma die in silence. Sam and Louisa Everett did not have a beautiful floral June wedding. Louisa, on her wedding day, did not wear a white dress with flowers decorating her hair. Sam did not wear a nice suit. There wa...