predator percentage

"If there was no way you could ever be caught, there would be no punishment and no one would ever know, would you ever rape a woman?"

That was the last question at the end of a survey given by Malamuth and Check to college males in the early 1980s.

Forty percent said they would.

It does not end there.

The same pool of men underwent an additional test that measured their arousal during two hypothetical audio recordings-- one portraying a rape where a woman adamantly refuses the sex through out the entire act and one portraying the "rape myth," where a woman refuses sex initially and repeatedly but eventually climaxes.

The men that said they would never rape a woman under any circumstances recorded no arousal during both segments. However, the men that admitted that they might rape a woman given total immunity from all consequences reported no arousal during the rape sound byte but extreme arousal during the "rape myth."

Researchers Malamuth and Check reasoned that some men enjoy a mixture of sex and violence, especially those whom are exposed to steady amounts of pornography as well as depictions of the rape myth. To them, the rape myth equates to what may appear to be rape-- rough, aggressive sex with an unwilling participant-- but is actually just a woman whom was too embarrased to admit her desire for sex and eventually "comes clean" via an orgasm.

But the rape myth is just that: a myth. Women do not say "no" to mask their true sexual desires. They are not playing hard to get or shy. No means no. Period.

The more men are exposed to the rape myth--probably while watching porn--the more likely they are to believe that it is true. Those men might be misled to believe that constant refusal of sex is a common game played by women whom actually want to get laid.

They are then more likely to make repeated sexual advances, ignorant to a woman's constant refusal, as well as be convinced that rape might actually be pleasurable to the woman in the end; he just has to push her to that point.

So, of the forty percent who confessed they would rape a woman if given the anonymous chance, those same men registered as being more turned-on by violent sex and under the impression that the rape myth is actually true (this is shown by the difference in arousal response of the rape vs myth rape recordings).

I do not want to make generalizations about men or scare women. It was one study, which also said that sixty percent of men would not rape a woman given any circumstance. It is alarming that any percentage of men--particularly such a high percentage--confessed they would rape a woman if given immunity.

I think only way to eliminate or compress these predator inclinations is to enlighten men that the rape myth is not true. As seen with the study, those potential-rapist men were not aroused by the rape recording; it was only when they believed that women enjoyed the rape at the very end that they were aroused.

All men need to believe that when a woman says no, she really means no, regardless of the situation, whether she led you on to believe there was going to be more action or whether she did want more but then decided against it.

It is a shame that girls sometimes feel obligated to do sexual things, pressured more so by social norms than men.

Regardless of where the pressure comes from, it is the girl's responsibitiy to speak up when she does not want to do something; men cannot read minds, but they can take "no" for an answer.