Over half of college athletes say they’ve coerced a partner into sex

Over half of male college athletes, and 38 per cent of non-athletes have admitted to having coerced a partner into performing a sexual act. 

A study of 379 male students from an unnamed university in the US, asked a number of questions around the topics of sexually coercive behaviour and consent, in an attempt to learn more about the attitudes that exist around rape culture. 

Aside from the sheer number of men who said they had engaged in coercive behaviour, one of the more alarming findings was the mentality behind the admissions, and the apparent belief in rape myths. 

Offending participants shared the opinion that "if a woman doesn't fight back, it isn't rape", a worrying take on gender roles, such as "women should worry less about their rights and more about becoming good wives and mothers." 

Speaking to the Washington Post, Kristy McCray, an assistant professor of health and sport sciences at Otterbein Universtiy in Ohio, said: "Sports are a hypermasculine endeavor, and there's a lot that connects hypermasculinity to violence." 

While the findings are no doubt disturbing at best, many readers of the report have taken to social media to say the news doesn't come as a huge shock. 

The study proves particularly relevant at a time when the #MeToo and #IBeleiveHer movements aim to open the conversation around rape culture and provide support for the victims of sexual assault.