Posted by Rena at lsajca1-ar3-014-170.biz.dsl.gtei.net on February 24, 2000 at 15:35:48:
In Reply to: 1 in 3 women raped, not a fact posted by Sal on February 24, 2000 at 15:12:56:
: Statistics are a tricky thing. I have often heard in the past
: how 1 in 4 women will be a victim of sexual assault in their
: lifetimes. I also do not hold this as fact. I have yet to ever
: actually see the study or numbers to back this up. Think of what
: 1 in 3 means. Out of every three women you know, one has been
: raped. This is highly unlikely, and borders on the absurd.
Try a little experiment. This will be highly unscientific, but it might open your eyes. Ask the next ten women you meet if they have ever been sexually assaulted. Or any ten women that you feel comfortable enough with to ask them that kind of personal question. Of course, they may not all admit it to you. But even so, I bet you'll still be surprised by how many do.
You are probably right, 1 out of three is absurd. It should be 0 out 3. But sexual assault is an odd thing. Many women will not talk about it, not to the police, not to their doctors, not even to their partners. And certainly not to someone taking a poll. But, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I believe that the 1 in 3 number relates to the number of rapes reported divided by the number of women in the area being surveyed. So, yes, the numbers would be off in such circumstances, as some women will be raped more than once and some not at all. Does that make you feel better?