If a person were asked to picture a stereotypical rapist, he or she would likely conjure the image of a slimy, crooked degenerate who hides in dark alleys and preys on unsuspecting women. While there are likely several sexual criminals who embody this persona, this stereotype is rather misleading. College males, generally people who are privileged and thought to be in the upper classes of society, are increasingly becoming the assailants in sexual assault cases. It is shocking to think that, in college, a place supposedly for scholars, one in four women will encounter an instance where they could become victims of sexual assault. According to writer Emily Yoffe, the issue revolves around the pungent drinking atmosphere synonymous with university campuses. In her column for Slate Magazine, Yoffe explains how collegiate women are victims to sexual assault because they choose to drink heavily which puts them in a position of vulnerability. Thus, her solution to curbing rape on college campuses is to first curb the problem of binge drinking. While drinking and sexual victimization are undoubtedly correlated, Yoffe overlooks the fact that alcohol is simply a factor in the larger institutional failings of gender in the collegiate setting. Instead of focusing on any one choice a victim of rape makes, a broader understanding of the rape culture emerges when one examines the overarching inequality, norms, and pressures of gender in the college setting.

One of the glaring features of Yoffe’s argument is her emphasis on biological differences. She states, “women do not metabolize alcohol the same way as men, and that means drink for drink women will get drunker faster.” Men use this drinking advantage to get females intoxicated, thus making it easier to manipulate them into sexual intercourse. Yoffe argues women cannot consent to sexual intercourse when they are dunk because they lack the proper mental faculties to do so. Women should understand this fact and drink minimally. The issue here is not that Yoffe blames alcohol but that she boils the issue down to genetic disadvantages. Granted, women are fully capable of controlling the amount of alcohol they consume and a responsible intake will drastically improve their mental capacities during potentially dangerous situations. However, not all women are raped while under the influence of alcohol. How does a women prevent rape when they are simply overpowered by force? It would be unfair to request all women take self-defense courses or lift weights because they may be genetically disposed to not be as strong as males. Focusing on genetics asks the wrong question about sexual victimization. Instead of focusing on the personal choices and characteristics of the female that lead to rape, one should ask why college campuses make men overly sexually aggressive.

Fundamentally, rape should be examined as an issue of gender rather than sex. According to Wright and Rogers, “Sex is a property of the biological characteristics of an organism; gender is socially constructed.” Essentially, women and men are expected to act differently but are not genetically predisposed to do so. People act the way they do because society fabricates gender roles that people are expected to abide by. Women are supposed to act gentle and caring while men are supposed to be strong and assertive. This leads to a culture of rape because gender norms are often taken to extremes on college campuses. In their journal article "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture," Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Spade argue that a culture of masculinity and sexual aggression thrives in college campuses, particularly in fraternities. They state, “The pressure to be one of the guys and hang out with the guys strengthens a rape culture on college campuses by demeaning women and encouraging the segregation of men and women.” Being a university of Iowa student and a member of the Greek life on campus, this makes sense. Greek life draws distinct lines between males and females. In my experience, sorority houses are always pristine and filled with stereotypical female attributes: the walls are painted shades of yellow and pink, tables are adorned with trinkets and flowers. The fraternities on campus represent the antithesis. They are usually dirty, dark and filled with posters of alcohol and female models. Upon entering a fraternity or sorority, one can clearly see Greek life establishing gender expectations. Men are supposed to act like men, women are supposed to act like women and there is no grey area in between. In fact, Greek life members are seen as outsiders if they do fall in that grey area. In my experience, members are often mocked relentlessly if they act in any way feminine. This taunting may seem playful, but instills a sort of hyper-gender in members. Brothers want to promote the image of the masculinity at any means necessary lest they be ostracized. This quality of fraternity men becomes dangers when the current hook-up culture is taken into account.

One of the major aspects of rape Yoffe fails to touch on is the cultural standard of premarital sex in college-aged individuals. While premarital sexual numbers have not risen significantly in the past century, studies suggest that nearly seventy percent of students will have at least one casual sexual encounter during their collegiate tenure. The obvious concern could be that a relaxation of sexual norms could make women less cautious and men more animalistic toward their sexual urges. However, the issue is a little more complicated and seems to point again toward gender inequality. In this “hookup” culture a double standard exists where women are seen as promiscuous and unbecoming if they have multiple sexual partners. Men, on the other hand, are praised for their sexual encounters and are encouraged to have multiple partners. Again, the fraternity life on college campuses magnifies this attitude. Members want to be the “top frat” on campus, which supposedly implies having sex with more girls than any other fraternity. Women are seen as sexual objects rather than possible friends or relationship partners. It is no surprise then, that women "report varying degrees of sexual disrespect in the fraternity culture” (Armstrong, pg 25). This point is exemplified in the research conducted by Boswell and Spade. In their examination of several fraternities at a private college, Boswell and Spade attempted to uncover the characteristics of sexually aggressive college students. First, they used student surveys to identify every fraternity has having either a high or low-risk of sexual assault. They then had an observer attend fraternity parties, all of which included alcohol, and observe the members’ actions. In the high-risk fraternities, males often were heard talking about women in a derogatory fashion, seemed self-conscious about the presence of females and only talked to women in a flirtatious manner. The low-risk fraternity was found to have much more casual, friendly conversation between the two sexes. In this situation, alcohol was a constant variable for all groups. Every fraternity consumed alcohol, yet high and low-risk houses displayed drastically different attitudes toward women. Undoubtedly, the high-risk houses felt pressure to adhere to the social stereotypes of masculinity. They were culturally trained to believe fraternity brothers were their friends; sorority girls were their sexual ornaments. This had a clear affect on their interaction with women. Where the low-risk houses felt comfortable talking to women, the high-risk houses appeared to have trouble communicating to the opposite sex in a manner outside of a sexual context. Yes, allowing high-risk fraternities the opportunity to administer alcohol to women seems highly suspect, but the cause of sexual aggression goes much deeper then simply intoxication. In this context, alcohol merely serves as a weapon for meathead fraternity members who are pressured by their surroundings to prove their masculinity.  

It is fairly obvious to see that alcohol alone does not cause rape. Emily Yoffe does not necessarily believe alcohol is the sole vehicle to sexual aggression either, she simply uses it as an explanation for the less obvious. Sexual aggression is difficult to understand when it resides in university campuses. Rape is seen as one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, conducted by desperate lowlifes. However, college campuses are filled with thousands of single students and, through classes and Greek life, young men are given countless opportunities to meet women. With that in mind, it makes no sense why a college student would resort to rape. Yoffe’s argument is correct in that drunken women make easy targets for rape, but this does not explain why young, privileged men sink to such low levels. The only way to truly understand the issue is by looking at rape as a social construct. Rape is the result of social institutions where women and men are expected to operate by different gender norms that instill pervasive gender inequality. Collegiate men are not genetically predisposed to rape women. Rape often occurs when men, especially those in fraternities, feel pressure to adhere to the masculine expectations of the double standard of the hooking up culture. This creates a perfect storm when fraternities throw parties at their own houses, putting the men in positions of power over vulnerable women who attend. While a decrease in alcohol consumption would allow college women to make better choices, it is an unrealistic request because of the deeply embedded drinking culture on college campuses. A more realistic approach would be to overhaul the entire aesthetic of Greek life. Integrate fraternities and sororities. Replace the gender specific ideals of brotherhood and sisterhood with the universal ideal of comradery. Most importantly, create an atmosphere where gender does not define a person.