Prevalence Statistics
Statistics are from the 2018 Service Academy Gender Relations Survey (SAGR) and DoD Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at Military Service Academies, Academic Program Year 2017-2018 and its appendices/annexes, unless otherwise noted.
[1] Unwanted sexual contact (USC) refers to a range of activities prohibited by the UCMJ, including uninvited and unwelcome completed or attempted sexual intercourse, sodomy (oral or anal sex), penetration by an object, and the unwanted touching of genitalia and other sexually related areas of the body.
[2] Re-victimization is when a survivor of USC experiences it again.
[3] Although undesirable on its own, sexual harassment is also related to sexual assault. Research has shown organizational tolerance of sexual harassment and related behavior is likely to create a permissive climate for USC to occur (Begany & Milburn, 2002; Turchik & Wilson, 2010). In addition, would-be offenders often work along a spectrum of behaviors, increasing in severity. This construct is known as the continuum of harm. Indeed, many types of violence (e.g., bullying, stalking, sexual harassment and sexual assault) are interconnected and often share causes, risks, and protective factors (e.g., Espelage, Low, Polanin, & Brown, 2013; Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998; Wilkins, Tsao, Hertz, Davis, & Klevens, 2014). Military-specific research also supports this connection between unwanted experiences, such as sexual harassment (both sexual quid pro quo and sexually hostile work environment) and a significant increase in the likelihood of rape or sexual assault (Sadler et al., 2003; Cook et al., 2014; Severance, Klahr, & Coffey, 2016; Barry et al., 2017).
- 1.8% of USAFA men experienced Unwanted Sexual Contact (USC). USC is a criminal act under the UCMJ. [1]
- 15.1% of USAFA women experienced USC. USC is a criminal act under the UCMJ. [1]
- These are the highest levels since tracking began in 2006.
- Rates of Unwanted Sexual Contact at the Academy continue to be exponentially higher than Active Service.
- 0.5% of USAF (Active Service) men experienced USC. USC is a criminal act under the UCMJ. [1]
- 4.3% of USAF (Active Service) women experienced USC. USC is a criminal act under the UCMJ. [1]
- Risk of re-victimization[2] for men is 7.7%
- Risk of re-victimization[2] for women is 25.5%
- 13% of USAFA men faced sexual harassment.
- 46% of USAFA women faced sexual harassment.
- Organizational tolerance of sexual harassment is likely to create a permissive climate for USC to occur[3]. Results from the 2018 SAGR showed about one-third of USAFA women who experienced USC said they experienced an unwanted behavior from the same alleged offender before the USC.
- USAFA women who experienced sexual harassment were 7 times more likely to experience Sexual Assault and USAFA men were 11 times more likely.
[1] Unwanted sexual contact (USC) refers to a range of activities prohibited by the UCMJ, including uninvited and unwelcome completed or attempted sexual intercourse, sodomy (oral or anal sex), penetration by an object, and the unwanted touching of genitalia and other sexually related areas of the body.
[2] Re-victimization is when a survivor of USC experiences it again.
[3] Although undesirable on its own, sexual harassment is also related to sexual assault. Research has shown organizational tolerance of sexual harassment and related behavior is likely to create a permissive climate for USC to occur (Begany & Milburn, 2002; Turchik & Wilson, 2010). In addition, would-be offenders often work along a spectrum of behaviors, increasing in severity. This construct is known as the continuum of harm. Indeed, many types of violence (e.g., bullying, stalking, sexual harassment and sexual assault) are interconnected and often share causes, risks, and protective factors (e.g., Espelage, Low, Polanin, & Brown, 2013; Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998; Wilkins, Tsao, Hertz, Davis, & Klevens, 2014). Military-specific research also supports this connection between unwanted experiences, such as sexual harassment (both sexual quid pro quo and sexually hostile work environment) and a significant increase in the likelihood of rape or sexual assault (Sadler et al., 2003; Cook et al., 2014; Severance, Klahr, & Coffey, 2016; Barry et al., 2017).