Advanced Essay #4 Stereotypes Create Violence

Factors that influence women's reactions to sexual violence includes making a choice between two different violences. Whether they will get themselves in more trouble for speaking out against their assaulters, or have it impact their life somehow. They are afraid to have consequences for speaking up. I believe that women are afraid to speak against sexual violence, because they are afraid of what the outcome will be. Women have to choose whether to harm themselves or letting violence against them go because they think they will be safer that way.  Gender stereotypes lead to violence.

Women tend to not confront sexual harassment with people they don’t know, but people they already know. Which is why most of the time, assaulters are not confronted because they are someone the victim does not know.  “Some other are afraid they will not be taken seriously or are too ashamed to complain.” Victims are also afraid to stand up to assault at work because they are afraid that they could lose their jobs if this is happening at work. The assaulter might be their boss or a colleague. They can’t be protected if the boss sexually harasses them, and they get fired for standing up against them. Maybe its a colleague, but their boss does not believe the women. Then they get in trouble for speaking against sexual violence.

According to the article “Hollaback! You have the power to end harassment”, some men use the excuse that they are complimenting the women when they verbally harass them. A women from the website, tells her story of her being a victim of sexual violence, and how hard it is to deal with it. But she was lucky, because someone else helped stand up for her. “I was on the metro on my way home this evening and a man sat next to me and began to loudly talk about how nice my legs looked. I told him to stop and he wouldn’t and I couldn’t get out of the seat. He continued to encroach on my space so I turned my head, and could feel everyone looking at me but not doing anything. Luckily a guy sitting in front of me engaged the man sitting next to me, asking him to stop and explaining that I may not like that type of the attention. The man sitting next to me claimed he was just giving me a compliment.” When the assaulter by someone, it took him by surprise so he quickly made the excuse of complementing the women. But the man that helped the victim, and tried to helping by confronting the assaulter. As the story continues, the man that stood up against the assault,  was trying to explain that it is wrong to treat women that way.  This story struck a chord in me because instead of the assaulter being shut down, he was getting help to learn not to treat women badly. That's not something you see often. I think I helped because the assaulter was convinced that he was wrong. The man learned something instead of being angered more, which would make him want to continue sexually assaulting women. I believe that men need to be taught how to treat women because they don’t see it as a wrong. The woman in this story at first didn’t want to speak up for herself because she felt afraid of what would happen to her. But now, being encouraged by her savior, she will speak out if it happens again.

Not only is street harassment in America, but it happens to women all over the world. Here a study was done to show that women in Australia and paris are sexually harassed. Women are victimized when they are alone, in broad daylight, and at night. They can get harassed openly in public. Men, on public transportation, take advantage of the crowds and touch themselves, or rub against other women. The sad thing is that most women do not know they can report it, therefore they are afraid to speak out against it. “Street harassment can also take place in public transportation.in the suburbs of Paris, 100% of women have been harassed on public transportation. Some men, called “frotteurs” (to rub), take advantage of the crowded subway cars or buses to touch themselves or rub themselves against women. But a lot of their victims don’t even realize they could press charges over that type of harassment.” Women all around are being affected. Its common too, so its not like every country has sexual violence differently. Next, you will see that type of harassment women in japan experience. “The most common types of harassment are inappropriate touching in trains, taking pictures up a woman's skirt, flashing on the streets, stalking and "chikan crimes" [chikan means "stupid man" in Japanese and is used to describe men who grope women in public places] To battle street harassment, Japanese women travel in groups, carry buzzers to deter harassers or take self-defense classes. Or they may stay home after dark.”  Women in japan are being harassed so much, Japanese women have to travel in groups to protect themselves. They travel in groups, use buzzers, attend defense classes to protect themselves. But some women are afraid and just don’t travel at night; they stay home.

My opinion is, that men have it rough too with violence. In a documentary called “The Mask You Live In” they explain that from a young age men are stereotyped. It teaches them to be violent. Such as being told not to cry because you are a man. Or saying the expression “that’s gay” with a negative intention. Advertisement shows that men have to be violent in order to be valued. Like in most  movies, the movie is centered around a man. If a movie does not involve a man prove it to me. The female character has to have a purpose for what she is doing that does not involve the man. Not for her love for him, or she is doing what she is doing because of the male character. The movie should also not have a man committing an act of violence, it’s really hard. These movies with men being violent teaches boys that to be manly they need to be violent and masculine or you are weak.

The reaction I’ve noticed from women on sexual assault was fear except in one culture. The Japanese created ways to protect themselves, to defend themselves against men.   Awareness is being created, and I believe it will spread throughout the world. Sexual assault is a form of violence. If it happens to you or someone you see it affect, stand up against it.  I think men have it hard to. It’s hard to stand up against stereotypes.

Sources:

-"Read Stories." Read Stories – Hollaback! You have the power to end harassment. Accessed March 10, 2017. https://www.ihollaback.org/read-stories/.

-Rossalyn Warren, Marie Kirschen, Lane Sainty, Jina Moore, Rachel Wilkerson Miller, Hannah Giorgis, Nirali Shah, Bibiñe Barud. "Here's What Street Harassment Is Like In Eight Countries Around The World."

BuzzFeed. Accessed March 10, 2017. https://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/what-street-harassment-is-like-in-eight countries-arou?utm_term=.quBkEY9z1#.kwlvEwO67.

-"Read Stories." Read Stories – Hollaback! You have the power to end harassment. Accessed March 10, 2017. https://www.ihollaback.org/read-stories/.