“What was disturbing to so many U.S. citizens about the September 11, 2001  attacks on the World Trade Center is that these attacks disrupted their sense of safety at “home”, quoted by SmitFor many of us the attacks may not have hit extremely close to home, possibly knowing no one being affected by the terrorists’ attacks of 9/11.  I find this ironic especially with everything that is on the news about the airports doing body scans through x-ray or body searches.  It is funny how people are concerned about their own freedom and they say they were go to all extents to be safe, but when they are actually asked to do it, it is another story. If there was to be another attacked on the United States due to airplanes being high-jacked, and after September 11 there wasn’t increased search/security; the people would be upset that the airports never attempted to do anything to prevent what happened. But since people are being somewhat inconvenienced and slowed down in their travels they are crying out that their privacy is being invaded. Is there a happy median to this or is the saying true, “you can never make everyone happy”?

Rape Statistics

I find the topic of rape disturbing yet all too to its victims.  Some of these statistics are show its occurrence in our society and show that this horrible crime does happen. I feel that some underestimate the impacts that this has on a woman.  I know of a woman who had a child in her late forties due to being raped. Her other two children were 21 and 18 years old putting an 18 year gap between her children.  When she came to a family birthday party of mine she put her beer in a water bottle, he’s reluctant to go to bars and has a terrible time facing the father.  Due to instances of people making false accusations I feel that unless the woman seeks immediate medical help it may be hard to determine if it was consensual; but I feel where cases are clear that there was rape there should be harsher punishment for the perpetrator of the crime. This website gave stats on rapists, the victims, numbers, and reporting to the police. (http://www.rainn.org/statistics)

Who are the Victims?

Breakdown by Gender and Age

Women

1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).¹
17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape.¹
9 of every 10 rape victims were female in 2003.²
While about 80% of all victims are white, minorities are somewhat more likely to be attacked.

Lifetime rate of rape /attempted rape for women by race:¹

• All women: 17.6%
• White women: 17.7%
• Black women: 18.8%
• Asian Pacific Islander women: 6.8%
• American Indian/Alaskan women: 34.1%
• Mixed race women: 24.4%

Men

About 3% of American men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.¹

• In 2003, 1 in every ten rape victims were male.²
• 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape.¹

Children

15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.³

• 29% are age 12-17.
• 44% are under age 18.³
• 80% are under age 30.³
• 12-34 are the highest risk years.
• Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.⁴

• 3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.

In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse.⁵

• Of these, 75% were girls.
• Nearly 30% of child victims were between the age of 4 and 7.

93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.⁶

• 34.2% of attackers were family members.
• 58.7% were acquaintances.
• Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.

Effects of Rape

Victims of sexual assault are:⁷

3 times more likely to suffer from depression.

6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.

Pregnancies Resulting from Rape

In 2004-2005, 64,080 women were raped.⁸ According to medical reports, the incidence of pregnancy for one-time unprotected sexual intercourse is 5%. By applying the pregnancy rate to 64,080 women, RAINN estimates that there were 3,204 pregnancies as a result of rape during that period.

This calculation does not account for the following factors which could lower the actual number of pregnancies:

• Rape, as defined by the NCVS, is forced sexual intercourse. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, oral, or anal penetration by offender(s). This category includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object such as a bottle. Certain types of rape under this definition cannot cause pregnancy.
• Some victims of rape may be utilizing birth control methods, such as the pill, which will prevent pregnancy.
• Some rapists may wear condoms in an effort to avoid DNA detection.
• Vicims of rape may not be able to become pregnant for medical or age-related reasons.

This calculation does not account for the following factors which could raise the actual number of pregnancies:

• Medical estimates of a 5% pregnancy rate are for one-time, unprotected sexual intercourse. Some victimizations may include multiple incidents of intercourse.
• Because of methodology, NCVS does not measure the victimization of Americans age 12 or younger. Rapes of these young people could results in pregnancies not accounted for in RAINN's estimates.

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The Politics of Housework

In the article, “The Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi, I wonder if that’s what her husband really said or if that’s what she interpreted it as. I also get the feeling from the reading that they didn’t have children or maybe she didn’t have a full time job.  I believe if they both had a full-time job, her husband would see the difficulties in working and doing ALL of the housework.  As I stated with my group, my mother worked night shift at a hospital for some time so my father had to cook, clean, shower us kids, get us ready for bed and school.  He didn’t have much of a choice.  If we had a babysitter for the day she would do most of these things, but if they weren’t done my father would take it upon himself to do some of the chores.  I would probably be upset if a guy every said these things to me but then again the reading was from about 40 years ago so that does make a different how housework and raising children and who’s responsibility it was implied a different meaning.

Stay at Home Dads

“On Fathers Day, an estimated 159,000 stay-at-home dads, or 2.7 percent of the country's stay-at-home parents -- almost triple the percentage from a decade ago -- will celebrate what has become a full-time job, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.” I think this statistic may be due to a variety of factors. Women are now finishing their high school diploma and entering college to further pursue another career.  With more women seeking higher education they wish to continue their jobs after they started they have children, whether it is they wish to no longer to stay in the house or to help financially support the family.  I think it is more critical that at one point that a man and woman in the family both have jobs, due to the declining economy, many men are losing their jobs therefore are staying home to take care of the children, while the women continue to work. I believe too, that if a man or woman needs to stay home with the child/children that normally the one with the highest income and most stable job is going to continue working to ensure financial stability.  I find that stat astronomical that the number of stay at home dads almost tripled in only a decade, and besides what I predicted could be some of the factors it would be interesting to see what else influenced this increasing trend. One conclusion of this may be that it is now more acceptable for men to be considered a stay at home dad then it was ten years ago, so they are more open about the fact.  I think our society still has view that dad goes to work, mom stays home and does housework, cooks meals, and takes care of the family, but with changing times the structure and how a family functions must change too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/16/AR2007061601289_2.html

Partners as Parents

 I was raised in a Catholic family, so the object of gays and lesbians wasn’t a discussion because to many in my family it’s not right in the eyes of the church, therefore it’s not right at all.  I’m not saying this mentality is right, but I feel that it’s not wrong. We are all entitled to our opinions or raised in a certain manner.  Personally, I have no objections to gays or lesbians; I feel that God made two sexes for a reason, but at the same time people are entitled to live their life the way they want to live it.  I find it frustrating that the government is opposing marriage especially when it would benefit people financially is so many ways and assure their children benefits, that I am sad they are denied these rights.  Also, I find it frustrating that there are as many children looking for good homes, yet same-sex couples are being denied the right or have to go through such a long and tedious process to give these children the opportunities of having a good home.  The argument that the government/adoption agencies are scared their sexuality is going to be influenced I think is a bunch of b.s., because if you look at many homosexuals they probably come from heterosexual couples and obviously there wasn’t an influence there.  I think with changing times, our government need to change and adopt to our society, and I don’t necessarily agree with it, but it’s not my life and I feel that they are people and should still be given equal opportunity whether homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual. 

Marriage and Love

Reading “Marriage and Love” for me was a somewhat frustrating reading for me.  I feel everyone is entitled to their opinion but I totally disagree with what she had to say.  She could feel this way because of the household she came from and how she was raised but I feel totally different from what Emma Goldman expressed.  “Marriage and love have nothing in common; they are as far apart as the poles; are, in fact, antagonistic to each other.  No doubt some marriages have been the result of love.” I know there is a 50% chance that couples get divorced but I still believe that when most couples get married they are in love. My dad recently took a job in another state and is unable to come home often so every other weekend my mom goes by him and every other week during the summer I went by my dad. I feel that if my parents didn’t love each other and they wouldn’t make an effort to see each other, talk to each other and express our love for each other.  Our family has always been passionate, caring, and loving; so all these concepts that she states are difficult to grasp because of different viewpoints and standings on the issue of love.  I also disagree that the husband makes the house a prison. Our house was a safe haven, a place we knew we could always come back to for support, love, and shelter.  Possibly she feels this way because of the way she was raised and I’m not saying her opinion is wrong but sometimes its frustrating reading articles such as this that are strongly opinionated and contrary to my beliefs. I was raised that love does exist and that when you get married a house just isn’t a house but a home.

Between "Girl Power" and "Reviving Ophelia" Constituting the Neoliberal Girl Subject

I find this article interesting (although on the long side and didn't see it was optional) but it raised good points.  “Girls Power represents a “new girl” assertive, dynamic, and unbound from the constraints of passive femininity. On the other hand, Reviving Ophelia presents girls as vulnerable, voiceless, and fragile.” I do agree that there are these types of woman in the world but I don’t see either of these being bad qualities to have.  I don’t feel that being vulnerable, voiceless and fragile is a horrible thing but just home some girls are and how they feel comfortable acting and some girls feel more comfortable being assertive, dynamic, and unbound from the constraints of passive femininity.  I don’t think being vulnerable, voiceless and fragile are excellent qualities to have but for some is a choice of how to act; and if all girls were assertive, dynamic, and unbound the constraints of femininity that there would be no diverse personalities and all girls would act the same.  In our country I believe being a “Reviving Ophelia” or a “new girl” is more of a choice where in some countries girls are expected to act as a “Reviving Ophelia”. Overall I thought it was a good article to think about, at times it was a little difficult to follow but it gave some different sight.