# Will a quarter of all women really get raped? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 20, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364 "2003-02-20T17:48:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/1 "2003-02-20T17:48:51Z")
I’ve heard from several people that 1 in 4 women will be raped some time in their lives. The statistic varies somewhat, and I’ve heard 1 in 6 as well. I think this applies to just the United States. Any truth to this? ---
**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/2 "2003-02-20T17:57:39Z")
Just a WAG, but it sounds like BS to me. You also have to consider that not all women who claimed to have been “raped” have actually been “raped”. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/3 "2003-02-20T18:09:10Z")
The definition of “rape” has evolved to the point that just about any sexual episode can be construed as rape by one party on another. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/4 "2003-02-20T18:11:35Z")
I think this particular statistic was made up. No, seriously! ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/5 "2003-02-20T18:12:57Z")
I heard similar stats as well. IIRC, the number seemed extraordinarily high as they were counting sexual encounters where they may have consented, but not really wanted it. The example given was to think of a husband wanting some action, and the wife just wanting to sleep but agreeing to give him some. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/6 "2003-02-20T18:14:31Z")
Based on no more than anecdotal evidence, I would not be at all surprised if 25% of women in the US will at some point be physically coerced into sex against their will, which is a pretty narrow definition of rape. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/7 "2003-02-20T18:18:10Z")
95% of all statistics are made up on the spot, including this one. Much depends on the definition of rape- if you narrowly define it as the violent crime of sex at gunpoint or knifepoint, I suspect the figure is much lower. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/8 "2003-02-20T18:33:17Z")
[http://www.rainn.org/statistics.html#womenarevictims](http://www.rainn.org/statistics.html#womenarevictims) > [@](#): > > One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime ( **14.8% completed rape** ;2.8% attempted rape). ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/9 "2003-02-20T18:34:13Z")
Hey, look, guys, I don’t mean to start a dangerous trend, but I did an actual search! According to [http://www.rainn.org/stat(71).html](http://www.rainn.org/stat(71).html) - at a site which, if I had to guess, would overestimate such things, in 1999, there were 383,000 rapes, attempted rapes and sexual assaults in the U.S. Roughing that there are 150,000,000 women, and that the average lifespan is 80 years, that works out to about .2 rapes, attempted rapes and sexual assaults per person. The number of rapes alone, of course, would be less than that. Also, some people will be the victims of one of these horrible crimes more than once - which will make the number of people who experience one of these crimes go down. (that is, two rapes of one woman means another woman will not get raped ever in her lifetime). Also, this ignores that the victims of some rapes/sexual assaults are boys and men. So taking the .2 number as a high end, we can say that the number works out to something less than 1 in 5. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/10 "2003-02-20T18:36:28Z")
This is a trickier issue than it seems. We agree that threat of violence = rape and removal of consent via drugs = rape. But would the threat of being fired also be seen as removing consent? It’s a slippery slope: if you posit that the woman had the choice to have sex or lose her job, you open yourself up to the counter-attack that a woman held at knifepoint had the “choice” to have sex or be killed. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/11 "2003-02-20T18:49:04Z")
Looking at the RAINN site, here’s their definition of sexual assault: “SEXUAL ASSAULT includes a wide range of victimizations, distinct from rape or attempted rape. These crimes include completed or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between the victim and offender. Sexual assaults may or may not involve force and include such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal threats.” So any woman who is grabbed or pinched or had a lewd remark made to is a victim of a sexual assault which they count as an attempted rape. Count it that way, and sure these figures are possible. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/12 "2003-02-20T18:56:33Z")
Here is one of the primary sources, from the soc.feminism FAQ: > [@](#): > > Russell, Diana E. H. and Nancy Howell. “The Prevalence of Rape in the United States Revisited,” Signs, 8(4). 688-695, 1983. > According to survey findings, assuming that the rape rate remains the same, there is a 26% probability that woman will be the victim of a completed rape, increasing to 46% for attempted rape. There is also this stat from the National Violence against Women Survey from July 2000 : "Nearly 25% of surveyed women and 7.5% of surveyed men said they were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at some time in their lifetime. " Finally, **toadspittle’s** link gives the whole report for the 14.8% number: [PDF Survey](http://www.rainn.org/fullnvawsurvey.pdf) These are very contentious figures, as you might imagine. There are plenty of secondary sources that cast aspersions on the methodologies and such. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/13 "2003-02-20T19:00:03Z")
Are they also accounting for the fact that not all rapes are reported? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/14 "2003-02-20T19:02:03Z")
Nope, **MSU** , Sexual Assault is not the same as Attempted Rape in their definition. Definitions from that site (bolding mine): > [@](#): > > RAPE is forced sexual intercourse, including both psychological coercion and physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal or oral penetration by the offender(s). This category includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object such as a bottle. **This definition includes attempted rapes, male and female victims, and heterosexual and homosexual rape.** > > SEXUAL ASSAULT includes a wide range of victimizations, **distinct from rape or attempted rape.** These crimes include completed or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between the victim and offender. Sexual assaults may or may not involve force and include such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal threats. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/15 "2003-02-20T19:02:07Z")
It’s pretty clear–14.8% of women have been raped (not victim of other types of sexual assault, not victims of attempted rape … actual rape). RAINN gives detailed stats on all types of sexual abuse. They don’t seem to be fudging their figures. (I guess they feel that 14.8% of American women being raped is bad enough, without having to exaggerate.) ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/16 "2003-02-20T19:02:59Z")
I think it’s awfully sad that the first three posts to this thread were essentially accusing women of lying about rape. Not that some women don’t, but that the first three posters to respond went to that immediately… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/17 "2003-02-20T19:10:57Z")
Son of a gun, Uncle Bill, you’re right. Didn’t read my own quote- shame on me. The figure still flies in the face of common sense to me- think of the number of women you personally know and how many of them have been raped? I personally have never known a woman who was raped yet by their statistics I should know several. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/18 "2003-02-20T19:16:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\*I think it’s awfully sad that the first three posts to this thread were essentially accusing women of lying about rape. Not that some women don’t, but that the first three posters to respond went to that immediately… > > ☹ \*\* It may be “sad” to you, but given the awfully wide range of interactions and behaviors that many activists and some researchers lump under the “rape” umbrella, a bit of prudence in determining what someone is defining as “rape” is hardly uncalled for. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/19 "2003-02-20T19:18:47Z")
According to the June 2000 study by the National Institute of Justice and the CDC, 17.6 percent of women who were surveyed in the National Violence Against Women Study reported that they had been the victim of a rape or attempted rape. Of that number, 21.6 percent were younger than 12 when they were first raped, and 32.4 percent were between the ages of 12 and 17. In this context, it makes sense that child abuse should be considered as rape, as opposed to horny husband - sleepy wife. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364/20 "2003-02-20T19:19:50Z")
But what it leads me to believe is that there are a lot of men and women out there who’s first instinct is to believe that a woman is lying about rape, rather than believe her. THAT is what’s sad to me. “I’ve been raped.” “REALLY? What’s your definition?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-quarter-of-all-women-really-get-raped/156364.md?page=2)