Sexual assault is a violent crime that is rarely reported by the victim for varies reasons, one being the stigmatization that comes with it. Many victims of sexual assault in our society are seen as asking for it, or as being the one to blame for it occurring. In recent years there has been more talk about military rape, and sexual harassment toward female military personnel. Do to the underreporting of sexual assault, and harassment the exact number of victim is unknown. As Bostock et al. (2007) noted in a research on sexual assault, a survey conducted by the National Women’s Study (NWS) over the phone with approximately 4,008 participants found that 13% of women in the United States have been raped, with about 6 out of 10 being raped before they reached the age of eighteen. The survey by the National Women’s Study also found that 27% of women in the workplace have been sexually harassed; 84% of rape victims never file a report of the incidence to law enforcement; and only 12.6% of rape victim ever file a report for the crime, and violation that occurred to them (Bostock et al., 2007). In the military sexual assault is a sensitive topic due to the image that the military try’s to portray of itself, and because of this many sexual assault cases are hidden from the public view, dismissed without first investigating, or not taking serious when it is investigated.
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As Bostock et al. (2007) mentioned in a research paper on sexual assault, the military tends to cover up sexual assaults when it is reported, and even when they know that it is occurring they pretend to be ignorant of the situation in order to keep public appearance positive. Murdoch et al. (1995) found that among veteran women under the age of fifty, 24% reported to having experience with domestic violence in the last year, and 90% reported to being sexually harassed while they were in the military (Bostock et al., 2007 & Murdoch et al., 1995, p. 413). Bostock et al. (2007) mentions that women who have been sexually assaulted at a young age/childhood are more prevalent to being sexually assault, sexually harassed or having psychological problem while in active service in the military. The higher rates of Sexual assault in the military in comparison to the general civilian population seems to stem from high ranking officials not investigating cases that are reported, and instead covering it up to preserve a positive image of the military in the eye of the public, which emboldens offenders of sexual assault to act, and victimize others in the military. In order to accurately pinpoint the reasons for the prevalence of sexual assault on military women, while they are active members, feminist theory will be used. According to feminist theory there is gender inequality, and this inequality leads to discrimination, sexual objectivity, and patriarchy stereotypes. There are many factors that can be contributed to the reason why sexual assault seems to have a higher rate when it comes to active duty military women, than in the general population. The focus of the study will be on the prevalence of sexual assault against women who served or are serving in one of the branches of the United States military. In the general population of civilian, approximate 25% of women have reported to being raped or having someone attempt to rape them (Turchik et al., 2010). In the other hand 33% of women reported that while serving in the
As Bostock et al. (2007) mentioned in a research paper on sexual assault, the military tends to cover up sexual assaults when it is reported, and even when they know that it is occurring they pretend to be ignorant of the situation in order to keep public appearance positive. Murdoch et al. (1995) found that among veteran women under the age of fifty, 24% reported to having experience with domestic violence in the last year, and 90% reported to being sexually harassed while they were in the military (Bostock et al., 2007 & Murdoch et al., 1995, p. 413). Bostock et al. (2007) mentions that women who have been sexually assaulted at a young age/childhood are more prevalent to being sexually assault, sexually harassed or having psychological problem while in active service in the military. The higher rates of Sexual assault in the military in comparison to the general civilian population seems to stem from high ranking officials not investigating cases that are reported, and instead covering it up to preserve a positive image of the military in the eye of the public, which emboldens offenders of sexual assault to act, and victimize others in the military. In order to accurately pinpoint the reasons for the prevalence of sexual assault on military women, while they are active members, feminist theory will be used. According to feminist theory there is gender inequality, and this inequality leads to discrimination, sexual objectivity, and patriarchy stereotypes. There are many factors that can be contributed to the reason why sexual assault seems to have a higher rate when it comes to active duty military women, than in the general population. The focus of the study will be on the prevalence of sexual assault against women who served or are serving in one of the branches of the United States military. In the general population of civilian, approximate 25% of women have reported to being raped or having someone attempt to rape them (Turchik et al., 2010). In the other hand 33% of women reported that while serving in the