1. Placing men in power who dismiss the existence of sexual assault

@ Donald Trump

2. Measuring the value of women by their bodies

In Gilead, a woman's worth is placed on her "calling" to bear children and submit to men. Although our mainstream valuation of women isn't quite as explicit, rape culture elevates the idea that a woman's worth is physical.

3. Perpetuating sharp gender roles 

There is only such thing as dominant, sexually aggressive manhood, and submissive and sexually passive womanhood—no in-between.

4. Victim blaming and silencing

In Gilead, anything from sexual violence to fertility is never a man's fault; It can only be a woman's. In the world we live in, that same line of thinking strips survivors of validity and shifts power into the hands of perpetrators.

5. An overall tolerance for sexual violence and misogyny 

By now, how many times have you heard, "boys will be boys," or "grab her by the pussy"? Whether it's on college campuses or in the rhetoric of political leaders, the disturbing tolerance for sexual assault and violence towards women is something that Gilead and U.S. rape culture mirror.