Pounce Online

Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Sexual Abuse Awareness

t's what health studies professor Julie Dietz calls the hidden epidemic. Because we think of sexual harassment as a problem that only affects women, it's more difficult for men to report that a woman has overpowered him. Therefore, male sexual harassment goes unreported and nothing changes.

While data shows that the number of women who report sexual misconduct is higher than men, men have more reasons not to report misconduct, namely the social norms of society that suggest that men aren't supposed to find themselves in such a vulnerable position.

The stereotype of men in America is that they are the protectors, health studies professor Barbara Walker said. When this is violated, their image of being "macho" or "strong" is tarnished.

"It's a stab at (his) ego," she said.

While this is certainly the case for women, considering "social norms" for a man in America, it could be harder for him to admit a woman has overpowered him.

Also working against men is the stereotype that "they are always supposed to like sexual contact," said Bonnie Buckley, executive director of Sexual Assault Counseling and Information Service.

"It's not acceptable with American cultural standards for men," Dietz said. "If a hot thing is coming on to me why should I object? Well harassment is harassment."

Differences between sexual assault, abuse and harassment

Sexual assault, abuse and harassment are often used interchangeably, but each has its own definitions to separate the severity of each crime.

On paper, assault seems to be the most severe of the three, followed by abuse, then harassment.

According to Illinois Criminal Code, someone has committed sexual assault when he or she "commits an act of sexual penetration by the use of force or threat of force."

Rape is the slang term for sexual assault, Walker said.

Abuse, on the other hand, is committed when a person "commits an act of sexual conduct by the use of force or threat of force."

Or as Dietz put it, sexual abuse is "up to penetration."

Both, however, don't limit themselves to simply physical damage, but emotional damage, as well.

"Physical abuse is not just physical," Walker said.

Sexual harassment (not to be confused with "harassment," which the EEOC terms separately) is one of the most indistinct terms and is often used when referring to the workforce. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The EEOC defines sexual harassment as "'unwelcome sexual advances,' which explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment," interferes with his or her work, or creates a "hostile environment."

As Dietz points out, sexual harassmet can be sexually degrading comments or attempting to coerce a fellow worker into sexual activity.

Eastern's Office of Civil Rights and Diversity uses the same definition of sexual harassment in their sexual harassment policy.

The workplace

Places of employment have the potential to be "hotbeds" for sexual misconduct because in the workplace there are "power differentials" between those in charge (bosses) and those who are not (workers), Dietz said.

In these situations, it is easier for people in charge to use their power to levey themselves over their workers by possibly requesting sexual favors or assuming their advances will be granted because they are in charge.

Sometimes, especially if the worker is new, he or she might find themselves in a situation where "they have to do (something) and if they don't, their job will be on the line," Buckley said. That "something" could be a sexual favor.

Also, because sexual harassment is largely a "he said/she said" issue, its more difficult for a younger worker to take on a senior official who has been working at the company for years, Walker said.

Dietz said that one of the potential reasons why this is becoming more of an issue for males as of late is because women are taking more adminstrative positions than they did 10 to 20 years ago.

This "power differential," which used to be dominated by men, has been shifting, meaning men are more vulnerable than they once were.

Buckley couldn't confirm or deny Dietz's hypothesis but found the proposition "interesting" and would be open to additional studies.

Regardless, some stats show that the percentage of males reporting sexual harassment in the workplace is increasing.

According to the EEOC, the percentage of sexual harassment cases brought on by males has increased in the last 10 years, despite a decrease in charges overall. In 1997, the number of charge reciepts filed was 15,889 with 11.6 percent of them being filed by males. In 2006, the number of reciepts dropped to 12,025 but the percentage of men filing the charges increased to 15.4 percent.

Schools

In the same vein as the workplace, schools also have power differentials between teachers and students, meaning both female and male students are vulnerable.

In one particular instance, Buckley said she had spoken to a student who told her of female teachers in his high school who were getting with him and friends. Fellow male students congratulated him and his friends, yet he was scared, reenforcing the stereotype that males are supposed to enjoy sexual attention, regardless of the situation.

While girls still report being harassed more often in their lifetimes than boys, boys aren't too far behind.

According to a survey of 2,064 public school students between the grades of 8 and 11, 83 percent of girls and 79 percent of boys reported being harassed in their lifetimes.

Locally, the numbers are flipped.


I Sing the Body Electric,an east-central Illinois coalition that's aim is to "provide data…to combat teen health risk behaviors," reported that the number of high school males in the east-central Illinois area that have reported being abused was higher than their female counterparts.

In one of their studies, the coalition found that 13.4 percent of males have had a partner "hit, slap, or hurt them" in 2006 compared to 10.7 percent of females. Both percentages have remained relatively the same in the last three years.

Compared to national records, males are 97.6 percent more likely to be abused by their partners than the U.S. as a whole.

It is imporant to note that while the data would seem to indicate that more males are being sexually harassed, this is not necessarily the case. The data only shows that the number of reported incidents involving males being sexually harassed has increased, not the number of sexual harassments overall.

It is possible that males could be more willing to admit they have been harassed in the last few years with the total number of males being harassed remaining stagnant.

In short, the true number of sexual harassment victims is almost impossible to find. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey,59 percent of all sexual assaults are not reported.

Prevention

Both the SACIS and the health studies department on campus said the best way to prevent sexual misconduct - regardless of who the victim is - is education and awareness. Or, as Walker termed it, "taking the demon out of the darkness."

And with more awareness comes less fear on the male's part that he will be humilitated if he revealed he was sexually mistreated by a female.

Sites like MaleSurvivor and 1in6 < http://www.1in6.org/> (which was named because one in six boys report being harassed before they are 18) have been launched to promote such awareness and education and SACIS has a number of statistics available to students interested in the cause.

SACIS's office is located in the basement of Lawson Hall and can be reached at 217-348-5033. Walk-ins are also welcome. Eastern's Office of Civil Rights and Diversity is located in 1011 Old Main; their phone number is 217-581-5020.

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