Today’s society has come a long way since America became a country in the late 1700s. Yes, our country has sociological, political, economic and many other issues, but the United States is better off than in times past. 

Women can vote and hopefully, one day people won’t notice race. Gay marriage has become legalized. Child labor laws have been created. People have become aware of and are now trying to stop human trafficking. The list of accomplishments and moving forward is endless.

One sociological issue I think is underrated is how it is extremely easy for women to seek help in finding self-defense courses to avoid and defend themselves against sexual assault violence. Yet, men are shunned if they seek how in which to learn a way to stop or avoid sexual assault. When having conversations with today’s society, it seems as if most of society still believes that rape is just something that does not happen to men. Even others that I talk to ask, “How could a man be raped?”

Let me point out here, I know that the statistics of women being sexually assaulted are at a much higher rate than men. This is easily obtained knowledge through basic research. I can argue that it is more likely for women to get raped over men; I agree that women need to know how to defend themselves. But, I don’t agree with how it is nearly impossible for a man to find a way to learn self-defense if they are in the same situation that can happen to a woman. 

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 91 percent of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female. This statistic is horrendous, and I am all for having a way to get that 91 percent to a zero percent. But, what about that nine percent that are not female? And, I don’t even want to get on a tangent when it comes to violence against those born into a different sexuality or gender that does not follow societal norms.

This being said, we need to find a way to not only get the 91 percent down, but the nine percent as well. Shoot for an ideal world and end sexual assault and violence all together. I am not sure exactly how this would be possible, but if we work together, have those trained in handling the situation such as police officers, counselors, et cetera, then maybe one day men and women can defend themselves or avoid a sexuality violent situation completely with those lesser than humans trying to commit the violence ending up behind bars. 

This may take time, most likely it will not even happen in this lifetime or the next; but, we can start now. Even if it is such a simple task as creating an environment where a male will not question their “manhood” if they feel the need to call a university police officer to escort them to their car late at night for safety. 

Gender does not matter. What matters is for all people to feel safe in protecting themselves or avoiding sexual assault violence.