Every day, women walk out into the world at a statistically higher rate than men to become a victim of sexual violence. In North America alone, a staggering one in every four women will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. For some, this happens very early in life; high schoolers being one of the many at-risk age groups. The statistics are devastating, scary, and do not appear to be changing any time soon. Additionally, the United States system has historically protected the perpetrator(s) more so than the victims who bravely come forward with their stories. For this reason, many womxn and girls are afraid to share the stories of their abuse. Even seemingly normal incidents such as being catcalled on the street or groped in public are often brushed off as “just the way it is.” Of course, men can be the victim of these acts too, but the fact of the matter is that regardless, this should not be considered normal. Women should not have to be afraid to simply go out into public.

  “I feel like the fact that almost all women carry some kind of self-defense mechanism with them at all times is a big character tell for our society and what is deemed as normal. Whenever I walk outside alone, I am always thinking about those things you hear like ‘don’t walk with your hair up,’ and it’s just sad to me that things like that are so normalized for everyone because of what has happened to so many girls,” said sophomore Sophie Kline. Why must women be so cautious of their every action? The answer is that rape culture is ingrained into American society. 

  Ever heard of a prominent actor or politician being caught up in claims of rape or assault? Yep, it is not uncommon, and more likely than not, the famous man you heard about on the news who claimed he was innocent was believed over the woman who stepped up with her truth. Rape culture is all about the cultural norms that demand women make unreasonable sacrifices to protect themselves and allow men to get off easily due to patriarchal norms and the idea that “boys will be boys.” In case your eyes have not yet been opened to the edge men still hold in society, they continue to make more money than women, who only earn 81 cents to a man’s dollar. 

  Sexual assault is an issue that affects nearly 465,000 victims each year in the US, with approximately 90 percent of this tally being female. What is even worse than this statistic is the fact that women are so easily blamed for being assaulted, with the burden of safety being placed on women’s shoulders from a young age as they are taught lessons such as to never walk alone at night. Would it not make more sense to teach boys at a young age what is wrong, rather than to teach girls how to protect themselves from what is wrong? If you are a female, you have likely been in a situation much like this one: walking down the street at night only to have to cross the road to avoid a group of men who may or may not be dangerous. THIS is the problem. Although it is always a good idea to be aware of your surroundings, the gender inequality and threat of sexual violence that women face is appalling. It must end. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual violence, you are believed and you are not alone.