For Every 1 In 16 Women In the U.S., Their First Sexual Intercourse Experience Was Rape

In a recent study, more than 3.3 million American women, between the ages 18 to 44, shared they were raped the first time they had sexual intercourse, which clarified, “all demographic groups reported substantial roles of forced sexual initiation.”

The study, published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine, notes the World Health Organization recognizes forced sexual initiation as, “an unwanted first sexual intercourse that is physically forced or coerced,” a distinct form of sexual violence.

“We feel it is accurate to describe these events as rape,” said Dr. Laura Hawks, a primary care physician and research fellow at Harvard Medical School who co-authored the study.

The study shows that 6.5 percent of women surveyed their first sexual intercourse was unwanted and forced or coerced, stating it “appears to be common.” Researchers estimated that to be 1 in 16 US women.

The average age of women who experienced forced sexual initiation was recorded to be around 15-years-old. The average age of the partner or assailant at the time was 6 years older. Among women whose first sexual intercourse was voluntary, the average age was around 17.

About 50 percent of women surveyed said the perpetrator was larger or older. More than 46 percent of the women were held down. In 56 percent of the instances, men used verbal pressure. Men used physical threats more than 26 percent of the time and caused physical harm in more than 25 percent of the cases. Nearly 22 percent of the women had been drugged, according to the article.

Survivors now face long-term health issues, including increased rates of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and menstrual problems. 

More than 30 percent said they had an unwanted pregnancy following their rape, while 24 percent said they had never had an abortion in their lifetime, those numbers being higher than women whose first sexual intercourse was voluntary.

Earlier research has shown that more than 40 percent of women have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, and half of those have been raped. The authors of the study said there is no recent data that focuses on first experiences with sex. 

The survey included 13,310 women and was nationally represented by the women age 18 to 44. The data came from the National Survey of Family and Growth from 2011 to 2017.