Rape culture appears in sexist dress codes and everyday jokes. Learn about how you can become aware of this and stand up to rape culture.
Edited by Jordan Guzzi
The normalization of rape culture in schools is a reflection of larger social issues—perpetuated gender roles, victim-blaming, and tolerance of sexual harassment to name a few— all of which schools teach to children from an early age. Take dress codes as an example. Oftentimes, school handbooks will include a long, complicated list of guidelines dictating what is acceptable for students to wear, which often have specific rules for girls and boys. Not only does this force students to conform to one “socially acceptable” identity, but it also tends to disproportionately affect female students. Girls learn to dress in a way that does not “distract” their male peers. Their shoulders cannot be visible, their shorts and skirts must end three inches above the knee and any sort of tight clothing is frowned upon. Albeit unintentional, these rules send an indirect message to female students: if somebody interprets their clothing as an invitation for sexual harassment, it must be their fault. By telling girls that their bodies and clothing are a distraction, institutions simultaneously objectify women and dismiss sexual harassment. The assumption that “boys will be boys” or that “boys cannot control themselves” enables young men and teaches them that rape and sexual harassment are not a big deal. These stereotypes applied to boys have harmful effects all in themselves. Defining gender roles normalizes rape culture from a young age. Elementary school girls often hear the phrase: “he teases you because he likes you,” which dismisses behavior that may be hurtful instead of addressing the issue at hand. Later on in middle and high school, conversations regarding sexual assaults often favor the perpetrator than the victim. How many times have there been stories about high school athletes who received light rape charges or even had them covered up for the sake of their future? Within boys’ sports teams, toxic masculinity is a pressing issue. Football rape culture is a concern in schools around the nation because society teaches boys to be dominant and aggressive so their masculinity isn’t questioned. It is important to note that this expectation of boys is harmful and inherently flawed. This expectancy of toughness and dominance from male students is not only toxic but also invalidates the experiences of male sexual assault victims— an important demographic that gets overlooked due to the untrue stereotype that men do not get raped. This notion can make it difficult for boys to come forward about their experiences with rape or harassment for fear of seeming “weak”. Male college students are 78% more likely than non-students of the same age to be a victim of rape or sexual assault and more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses, both men and women, do not report the assault. Within the school system, both education and action regarding sexual harassment and rape are inadequate. Most schools have a sex education program focusing primarily on abstinence, which stigmatizes youth and reinforces harmful gender stereotypes such as the ones aforementioned. In the words of Leslie Kantor, the assistant professor of Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health and vice president of Education at Planned Parenthood: “Withholding critical health information from young people is a violation of their rights. Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs leave all young people unprepared and are particularly harmful to young people who are sexually active, who are LGBTQ, or have experienced sexual abuse.” Additionally, schools are often guilty of trivializing sexual assault and providing inadequate support to victims. In many cases, victims of rape or sexual assault had to learn and attend class in the same environment as their assaulter; this is undoubtedly harmful and displays neglect and carelessness towards victims—teaching victims that their experiences are invalid and assaulters that their behavior is acceptable. Schools need to put more effort into dismantling the rape culture that is ingrained and perpetuated within these institutions. Creating helpful discussions, supporting victims, and spreading awareness are all helpful first steps; ultimately, they must first decide that they want to change.
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