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Sexual Victimization Perpetrated by Women More Common than Thought

Author: The Williams Institute
Published: 26th Dec 2016 - Updated: 22nd Mar 2018
Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A
Additional References: Sexual Bullying Publications

Summary: Sexual Victimization Perpetrated by Women: Federal Data Reveal Surprising Prevalence assesses role of women as perpetrators of sexual abuse and provides estimates on prevalence of female sexual perpetration.


Main Document

Using U.S. federal agency data, researchers find that female sexual perpetration is more common than previously recognized. The researchers' findings contradict the common belief that female sexual perpetration is rare.

Sexual victimization by women perpetrators occurs mostly against men and occasionally against women.

The research, published in a paper titled "Sexual Victimization Perpetrated by Women: Federal Data Reveal Surprising Prevalence" was written by Lara Stemple, Director of the UCLA Law School's Health and Human Rights Law Project, and Williams Institute researchers Andrew Flores and Ilan Meyer and was recently published in Aggression and Violent Behavior.

The researchers suggest that inclusive approaches to understanding sexual victimization are essential to ensuring that professionals responding to sexual victimization address it appropriately. Gender and heterosexist stereotypes, such as the idea that only men are sexual perpetrators and that women are incapable of sexual abuse, interfere with complex understandings of sexual victimization.

"Sexual victimization perpetrated by men remains a serious, ongoing threat," said Lara Stemple. "Without detracting from this, our research aims to reflect the broader reality that women can also be perpetrators."

This is the first study to assess the role of women as perpetrators of sexual abuse in large federal data sets, providing more reliable estimates about the prevalence of female sexual perpetration than has been published in the literature to date.

Key findings include:

The findings compel a rethinking of long-held stereotypes about sexual victimization and gender. Moving forward, new, inclusive approaches should be used to comprehensively address sexual victimization in all forms. This includes taking into account issues specific to LGBT people, youth, people of color, and incarcerated persons.

Read the Report: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1359178916301446

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• (APA): The Williams Institute. (2016, December 26). Sexual Victimization Perpetrated by Women More Common than Thought. SexualDiversity.org. Retrieved October 4, 2024 from www.sexualdiversity.org/discrimination/bullying/649.php


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