Only women are at fault in sexually assault, true or false?
by Meredith Gillespie
In light of the recent attacks on women on our campus, a blog post concerning the gender roles in these cases can be quite polemic and may spark a discussion.
All the media and communication between students and the administration thus far have been concerning the women who have been attacked and precautions the rest of the women on campus should take in order to avoid a similar fate. In truth, the women who have been assaulted thus far were not acting in their own safety, as it is a commonly held perception that women should not travel alone at night, regardless of the country.
Where, however, is the advice for men?
We are so focussed on the precautions women should take, but what about directly discussing the problem? Rape culture permeates this campus, as supported in the Sauder School of Business orientation chants that were less than appropriate and condoned underage sex, and these recent assaults. Women should not be out late at night, but men should not be shamelessly attack women. We should all have the right to walk freely, not just men. Targeting women due to the presumption of their inability to defend themselves due to lack of know-how or sheer strength may be accurate, but it does not make it ethically correct. It is easier for us as a society to warn people to avoid those who create the problem rather than dissuade those who are attacking to stop their actions. This can be related back historically to the fact that men stereotypically dominated women in the workforce, physical strength and intellect in the past. This relates to male chauvinism and the idea that ‘what is available is there for the picking’, which simply is not correct. Moreover, it is not only women who are attacked and yet it is women who are targeted, supporting this incorrect presumption that all men are strong and can defend themselves.
Call me a feminist for asking for equal treatment of genders in this issue of sexual assualt, but it seems that Canadian society is intent on protecting the women, rather than preventing the men from their actions.
I completely agree with your idea of how men should control themselves and that nothing ever makes it right for a man to attack a women no matter the situation. Looking also at ‘what is available is there for the picking’ does not fit in any way, shape or form that men can take control of women. Like you have stated, men should be able control there actions and if they cannot then action should be taken against them rather than trying solely to protect women.
I guess I could be labeled as a feminist also for agreeing that preventing men from attacking women and putting in place events and seminars that will encourage men not to act this way against women is equally as important as educating women against the attacks from men.
To add to all of this, I feel it is just as important to note that it is not only men who can attack but instead, women that may attack men for similar reasons. Although this is very uncommon, it can and does happen and we should note that not just women shouldn’t walk alone, but nobody should walk alone, no matter your sex or age.