Due To The Fear Of Sexual Terrorism example essay topic

Sexual Terrorism is a system where males frighten women, which results in them feeling like they are being controlled and dominated. "Its target is females of all ages, races, and classes". Sexual terrorism includes nonviolent sexual intimidation and the threat of violence as well as overt sexual violence. There are different types of sexual terrorism: rape, wife abuse, sexual abuse of children and sexual harassment.

Cultures and societies shape these inequalities on individuals. The fear of sexual terrorism that women experience is different from that of a male. For example, a woman at a laundromat at night is afraid and a man at an ATM machine late at night is also afraid. However, the fear that women face is different from that of men. The woman fears being sexually assaulted as apposed to the man, who fears being robbed or even attacked. Women have a constant fear of rape when they are alone.

However, the majority of men in society do not have a fear of rape and do not even think about getting raped. There are different types of sexual terrorism. The one that I think is very common in our society is sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is sometimes defined as "the unwanted imposition of sexual requirements in the context of a relationship of unequal power". It is an attempt to coerce an unwilling person into a sexual relationship, to subject a person to unwanted attention or to punish a refusal to comply.

There are two different types of sexual harassment that have been identified by the courts: quid pro quo harassment and a hostile work environment. Quid pro quo harassment involves a demand or request for sexual favors in return for either advancement or to keep the target's job. A hostile work environment is creating an offensive, intimidating or threatening atmosphere, which interferes with workers productivity. The target is the one who determines what is and what is not offensive. This is not the person actually doing the action or creating the atmosphere which is uncomfortable to the target. Most harassment is directed towards women, by males in more powerful positions or to women who work in predominately male oriented occupations.

Women have limited options for dealing with unwanted sexual attention and each possible response poses costs and risks for the victim. They can adopt informal approaches, which include ignoring the harassment and asking the harasser to stop. They can quit the job or look for a transfer. They can also use formal grievance and complaint procedures, take legal action or they can acquiesce, which is to tolerate the harassment.

Formal complaints risk reprisals (including failure to be promoted, reduction in duties, dismissal); acquisition of a reputation for being a "troublemaker" among coworkers, who often "blame the victim"; and considerable expense if legal actions is taken. Also, according to the article, Pulling Train in the reader writes, "male participants are protected and the victim is blamed for having placed herself in a compromising social situation". Males often get away with their wrongdoings while women are blamed for the injustice that is done to them by men. These are some of the consequences of sexual terrorism and it causes problems in society.

Sexual terrorism affects our everyday life. One of the consequences of sexual terrorism in our society is that it creates gender hierarchy because it dominates and controls women". [W] omen's lives are bounded by both the reality of pervasive sexual danger and the fear that reality endangers". Women's subordination is gender hierarchy. It describes a situation where social power and control over labor, resources, and products are related to men. Historical theories of gender subordination stress how gender concepts and gendered kin roles change through time and across cultures.

Patriarchy is an ideology that "asserts the superiority of males and the inferiority of females". Daughters and wives are legal wards of their husbands and fathers. The family becomes a model of societal order; even relatively powerless men have power over women and children in the family. These differences are created by our culture and society. In American society, culture permits men to be head of the household. On the other hand, women are not given such privileges.

If woman want to claim herself as head of the household, she has to go through the state laws to classify her as a head of the household. These differences or inequalities based on gender are created due to sexual terrorism. Due to the fear of sexual terrorism, women are often paranoid and they feel scared at night when they are walking alone. Even men have this fear, but this fear is not the same for men. Men are usually scared at night due to the fear of being beaten up, but not fear of rape as in the case of women. Women are subordinated in society because social institutions give men the right to be the head of household, while women have to go through some state laws in order to classify her status as a head of the house.

Society's way of reducing gendered violence is by creating such things as rape crisis hotlines and self-defense programs for women. Society is misunderstanding the problem. They are dealing with the result or the affect and not the actual problem. Undoubtedly, creating self defense programs are helpful to women; however, it gives females the message that they are responsible for men's behaviors and that they need to learn to protect themselves.

This also gives males the message that such behavior is acceptable. If males were taught from an early stage that it is not acceptable to abuse or sexually assault females, there would be no need for rape crisis hotlines or self defense classes. Consequently, there would be no such thing as "sexual terrorism.".