I don't know about you, but when I think about the statistic that 1 in 4 women experience sexual violence in their lifetime, I tend to imagine those survivors as people whose life experiences are similar to my own, as a white heterosexual woman with no "disabilities."
Clearly, I'm getting in my own way, because the statistics tell a different story. Though statistical data is incomplete because it lacks information on incidences that go unreported, even the statistics we have show that women of color, differently abled women, and trans people face a much higher risk than I do as well as women who are not college students.
Women of color
"Lifetime rate of rape /attempted rape for women by race:
The national statistics from Rape Responses Services indicate that "1 in 7 Hispanic women have experienced rape at some point in their lifetime; over half of Hispanic women have experienced sexual violence other than rape in their lifetime."
Women with disabilities
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center cites a study from 1994, which indicates "women with disabilities are raped and abused at a rate at least twice that of the general population of women."
The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault cites a more recent study from 2011 finding that an estimated "80% of people with disabilities are sexually assaulted on more than one occasion and 50% of those experienced more than 10 victimizations."
Trans people
The National Transgender Survey reports that 64% of those interviewed experienced sexual assault (2).
Female non-students
The same is true of women who are college-aged (18-24) who don't attend college. According to RAINN, college women are 3 times more likely than the general female population to experience sexual violence. Women who are 18-24 and not students, are 4 times more likely to experience sexual violence.
Clearly, I'm getting in my own way, because the statistics tell a different story. Though statistical data is incomplete because it lacks information on incidences that go unreported, even the statistics we have show that women of color, differently abled women, and trans people face a much higher risk than I do as well as women who are not college students.
Women of color
"Lifetime rate of rape /attempted rape for women by race:
- All women: 17.6% [1 in 6]
- White women: 17.7%
- Black women: 18.8%
- Asian Pacific Islander women: 6.8%
- American Indian/Alaskan women: 34.1%
- Mixed race women: 24.4%" (RAINN)
The national statistics from Rape Responses Services indicate that "1 in 7 Hispanic women have experienced rape at some point in their lifetime; over half of Hispanic women have experienced sexual violence other than rape in their lifetime."
Women with disabilities
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center cites a study from 1994, which indicates "women with disabilities are raped and abused at a rate at least twice that of the general population of women."
The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault cites a more recent study from 2011 finding that an estimated "80% of people with disabilities are sexually assaulted on more than one occasion and 50% of those experienced more than 10 victimizations."
Trans people
The National Transgender Survey reports that 64% of those interviewed experienced sexual assault (2).
Female non-students
The same is true of women who are college-aged (18-24) who don't attend college. According to RAINN, college women are 3 times more likely than the general female population to experience sexual violence. Women who are 18-24 and not students, are 4 times more likely to experience sexual violence.