Being a college aged girl is an extremely difficult age to be at. They are beginning to navigate their way through adulthood and they are really beginning to figure themselves out and what future they want for themselves. But, also at this age range they have to worry about different things than their male counterparts. Here are 10 things that I wish (and I am sure we all wish) that college aged girls never had to be afraid of.
1. Walking alone at night
You hear the stories on every college campus, a girl was walking home alone, a man sneaks up behind her, and boom, she becomes a part of another college sexual assault statistic. When we hear these stories we all say things like "Oh, She shouldn't have been walking alone" or "Where were her friends?". There is zero reason why I or any other girl should not be able to walk themselves home after hanging out with friends at night. You always think things like, "I will be fine, nothing like that would ever happen to me". But the statistics are that college women (ages 18-24) have a three times higher risk of being raped or sexually assaulted or that college women are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted than robbed. It really makes you rethink things.
2. Wearing certain clothing
Any girl should feel confident in whatever she chooses to wear. On college campuses there is constant "slut shaming" based on what a girl chooses to wear. We should be lifting each other up instead of constantly tearing one another down. If you have that big of a problem with what someone else is wearing, don't look at them!
3. Being sexually abused
No person should ever have to fear that they stand the possibility that someday they may be sexually abused by someone they love. In reality, 1 in 4 women will be a victim to domestic violence, the most common age range to experience this violence is 16-24.
4. Being verbally abused
When a person thinks about abuse they immediately think about the physical effects of it but verbal abuse is very relevant in today's society also. 26% of teenage girls reported repeated verbal abuse from a partner. Only half of tween age kids report to know the signs of a verbally abusive relationship. It's no wonder that verbal abuse is a more common thing today, because even as kids we were not taught well enough to detect what's healthy and what's not.
5. To tell a man to leave you alone.
No matter where you are, a bar, a house party, even just on the street, and you want someone to leave you alone, there should be no fear in them getting upset by this and causing a scene when you ask them to stop. You hear too many stories of a guy hitting on a girl and the girl asking him to stop. Eventually someone else hears her asking him to stop and steps in. A fight begins and multiple people end up getting hurt over nothing. This is absolutely ridiculous and is something that I never realized that happens all the time.
6. To say no to having sex.
No one should ever feel pressured to have sex with anyone whether it be a significant other, a friends with benefits, or a random person. You should always feel 100% positive that it is something you want to do no matter the situation.
7. That someday you are going to make less money than a man with the same job.
In 2014, women were making a mere 79% of what men in the same profession made. Although it has greatly improved since the 70's, it is still no where near what is equal. As a college aged woman, this makes me extremely upset. When I graduate and get a job I can only hope that I am making the same amount as a man who has the same experience and skill as I do.
8. That you stand a huge possibility of being sexually harassed at the work place.
Although there are many laws against sexual harassment in the work place, it is still a huge problem in today's society. In a survey of 500 people, 54% of them reported they had been the victim of workplace harassment and 79% of the victims were women. This statistic is a huge eye opener for my future, because you always believe that nothing bad could ever happen to you.
9. To leave your cup unattended at a party.
A common thing to hear before you go to any type of party or bar is to never leave your cup unattended out of fear of someone slipping something into it when you are not paying attention. Although this is still very important to do, 88% of women who were sexually assaulted reported not drinking anything they left unattended and 76% reported not drinking anything given to them by a stranger.
10. To report any type of sexual assault to authorities.
College aged victims very rarely report any sexual violence they were victims of. 4 out of 5 female college students do not report for a variety of reasons. 26% believed it was a personal matter, 20% had fear of reprisal, 12% believed it was not important enough to report, 10% did not want to get the perpetrator in trouble, 9% believed there was nothing the police could do to help, 4% reported but not to authorities, and 31% was for other reasons. No one should ever fear to report that they were a victim of any type of sexual assault for any reasoning.
If you were a victim of any type of sexual violence please call: 800-656-4673. You can get help 24/7.
Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics | RAINN. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2016, from https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-vio...
Campus Sexual Violence Resource List. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2016, from http://www.nsvrc.org/saam/campus-resource-list
Safe Voices | Abuse Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2016, from http://www.safevoices.org/statistics.php
The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Spring 2016). (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2016, from http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-abou...
Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2016, from http://www.aware.org.sg/training/wsh-site/14-stati...
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