Mastodawn

Study (N=2,689) of men (18-34) finds 95.1% reported using strategies to get a woman to have sex who they knew did not want sex & had not consented; 65% successful. Consistent physical pressure & verbal coercion common; overt force, physical restraint, pain also used. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08862605261432630

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gabriel 1d ago

@amydiehl OK, but the paper was focused on that demographic:

"This research was designed to focus on men who admit having intentionally and knowingly sexually aggressed against a woman who they knew did not want sex nor consented to it, including strategies to overcome her reluctance, circumstances, motivations, and positive and negative outcomes."

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Leslie Burns 1d ago

@gabriel That is a misreading, IMO. The criteria for participation were, "Men were eligible if they self-identified as men, were in the age range 18 to 34 years, and reported having had a sexual encounter with a woman in the past 2 years."

Also, if it were only for those who admittedly coerced, etc., then the percentage would have been 100, not 95.1.

@amydiehl

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Ted Lemon

@LeslieBurns @gabriel @amydiehl

One interesting thing they don't correct for is men who didn't have sex during the two-year period prior to the study.

Also, I worry this will be used to conclude, a la Dworkin/McKinnon that men are just naturally this way, rather than that we are socialized to behave this way pretty much from birth, and have to learn our way out of it, hopefully before we do something awful. The most commonly reported coercive technique is "tells her what she wants to hear..."

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Ted Lemon 1d ago

@LeslieBurns @gabriel @amydiehl

I mention this because it's been very clear to me for a long time that boys and young men need clear and explicit education on how to behave towards members of the desired sex (as do girls and young women).

And that ain't happening.

And bashing won't help.

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gabriel 1d ago

@abhayakara

I also concluded the same, that this could be used to argue that "men are this way". And while sexual aggression is a serious problem that is under-reported, a 95% is just too high. That's why I think it is important to clarify the number, and the context.

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Ted Lemon 1d ago

@gabriel

Unfortunately if this goes viral that won't be effective, because the first message is what people generally remember.

I grew up during the Dworkin/McKinnon period, and bear the scars—that's why I remember their names.

The problem with their work is that they just figured out who to blame, not what to do to fix the situation, and those of us who took them seriously wound up hating ourselves for the misdeeds of others instead of doing anything about it.