Research reveals rapes and assaults admitted to by male UK students

[PurgatoryOfPotholes]

extract

The first survey examining sexual violence by male UK students has shone a light on misogyny at universities, with scores admitting to rape, sexual assault and other forcible acts.

Of the 554 male students surveyed, 63 reported that they had committed 251 sexual assaults, rapes and other coercive and unwanted incidents in the past two years, according to researchers at the University of Kent.

The study,Understanding Sexual Aggression in UK Male University Students, examined both the psychological profiles of sexually violent male students and their self-reported rates of offending.

It identified a strong association between toxic masculinity and sexual violence, with those who reported committing offences also admitting to misogynistic views, such as believing that women who get drunk are to blame if they get raped, and having sadistic sexual fantasies about raping or torturing women.

Such views and fantasies were not held by participants who did not report sexual misconduct and violence, the study noted.

The research comprised two online surveys, one of 295 students from 100 UK universities and another of 259 students at a university in south-east England.

Participants were asked detailed questions about a range of sexual scenarios, including having sex with someone intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, and their attitudes towards women and romantic relationships.

In the first survey, 30 participants reported they had committed 145 sexually aggressive acts over the past two years, with sexual coercion being the most common, followed by rape and attempted rape and unwanted sexual contact.

In the second survey, 33 men reported perpetrating 106 sexually aggressive acts over the same timeframe, with a third of those declaring they had committed three or more. All of the participants identified as heterosexual but five reported female and male victims, and one a male victim only.

Continues: www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/29/research-reveals-rapes-and-assaults-admitted-to-by-male-uk-students?

Oh Jesus that’s shocking

From memory, I’d say that’s similar rates —at around 10% of male students who responded — to a survey of US college students some years back.

So, more than 1 in 10 men offending, yet 1 in 2 of the same number of women affected because offences are not one-off events.

It's good to have a proper study and some stats but there's no surprise there; it's what women have been saying forever. Perhaps it will help women to be believed.

But what are universities, the police and society generally doing to improve men's behaviour and keep women safe? That's the real question!

Fucking horrendous yet completely believable. It's been 15 years since I was at university and both I and my friends experienced some appalling sexual misconduct from men. At the time I remember thinking it's just one of those things that happens when you're pissed, but it took me a LONG time to get over and only in the last few years do I realise how bad it was. I feel gutted for young women who experience the same today.

This is a link to the report itself:

journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10790632211051682

Thank you, depressing but important.

Wonder what the correlation is between porn availability & "atypical sexual fantasies".

I note this in the limitations comment-
"To this end, we support focused follow-up research with individuals who have perpetrated university-based sexual aggression against male students and non-binary students (either wholly or in part), to ensure the development of effective and inclusive campus-wide harm prevention initiatives." NB as a third sex?!?

I'm more surprised the fuckers actually admitted it, but they probably get off on that too.

It isn't a new problem, but the access to violent porn from a young age and this insidious attitude to women and girls now being encouraged and applauded online seems to make these men think rape is just sex that they are entitled to.

Horrific but totally believable.

I can't help hoping my daughters remain single when they're older and it is because of filthy men like this.

**I'm more surprised the fuckers actually admitted it, but they probably get off on that too.I
I would suppose they were responding to specific questions ,rather than being asked what abusive behaviour they have been involved in. A question like "Have you ever had sex with a drunk partner? " might be answered honestly, whereas " have you ever raped a woman who was unfit to consent " would probably be denied.

As a uni lecturer I'm horrified but not shocked by this. It's really difficult are for universities- bearing in mind that once they're 18 these young people are adults and we cannot control what they do. On campus more so, but out in the town is different. We hear a lot of casual sexism from male students and come down on it hard, we help signpost female students who've been abused to our services and young men have been suspended or reported to the police for their behaviour - but it's difficult to know what institutionally we can do.

truly awful

11% is not a “tiny minority”, is it? It’s quite a significant minority.

As those of us with experience of sexual assault/harassment/abuse by significant numbers of men already knew.

(And of course these are just the ones admitting to it.)

Thanks for the link, OP, something to bookmark for the “it’s only a tiny minority” brigade.

And for the “what do you even need safeguarding for?” brigade.

It’s chilling to see it laid out in black and white like that, by their own admission.

NoT AlL MeN

But 11.4%.

To illustrate that, the FDP will be in the next German government. They received 11.5% of votes. The AfD received 10.3% of votes and is considered a major problem. With this data will people finally consider this a major problem? I wouldn't take any bets.