Trigger Warning: This article contains details about sexual assault and rape.
A new study in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine found some deeply upsetting and frustratingly unsurprising information about American women’s experience with rape. According to the study, more than 3.3 million American women ages 18 to 44 were raped the first time they had intercourse. That is…a huge number, and absolutely heartbreaking.
What’s more, which pulled data from 2011 to 2017, the data comes from surveys given between 2011 and 2017. Since 2017 and the dawning of the #MeToo movement, many women have felt more comfortable coming forward with experiences of assault, suggesting this already-shocking number could be even higher.
Rape is disgustingly common for women. In fact, earlier research has found that 40% of women experience sexual violence in their life, and half of those experiences are rape. And now, this new study reveals that for many women, rape is the first thing they experience when it comes to having intercourse.
The study revealed some more statistics, and I am going to break them down here, but again want to warn you that they are upsetting and triggering.
- 6.5% of women or surveyed had an unwanted first sexual intercourse that was forced or coerced. Researchers estimated that to be 1 in 16 US women.
- The average age of women who experienced forced sexual initiation was 15.6.
- The average age of the partner or assailant at the time was 6 years older. (Some 50% of women surveyed said the perpetrator was larger or older.)
- More than 46% of the women were held down.
- In 56% of the instances, men used verbal pressure.
- Men used physical threats more than 26% of the time.
- Men caused physical harm in more than 25% of the instances.
- Some 22% of the women were drugged.
- More than 30% of the survivors said they had an unwanted first pregnancy.
- Some 24% of survivors said they had ever had an abortion in their lifetime, which is a higher percentage than women whose first sexual intercourse was consensual.
These numbers solidify what we already know: American women are experiencing sexual violence at an alarming and upsetting rate, and having to live with the trauma of the experiences for the rest of their lives. Doctors should be prepared to deal with this trauma, and men should be prepared to do better.
