Are Women Sexual Predators as Well as Men?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns anonymous women accusing famous and/or powerful men of sexual assault. No one denies that many women are raped because rape of women does happen too frequently. However, there are also predator women who encourage sexual activity with men.

In an article titled “When women accuse, men are always guilty – or are they?” Leslie Corbly discussed the situation of Pete Hegseth, Fox News contributor and Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 by an anonymous woman who has been identified as Jane Doe. She calls the situation “the Hegseth dilemma” or the “cultural confusion about sex and consent.” 

Hegseth does not deny have sex with the woman, but he claims that the sexual intercourse was consensual.

Social sympathy often favors women over men, creating an uneven playing field where sexual predation is defined almost entirely by male behavior.

Despite the weakness of Doe’s testimony, left-leaning outlets framed the story to sympathize with Doe and cast Hegseth in a harsh light. NPR led by stating that Doe could not recall the evening but consistently said “no” to Hegseth’s advances. Time, CNN, ABC, and the Guardian highlighted a portion of Doe’s testimony in which she claimed Hegseth used his body to block her from leaving his hotel room.

This selective framing approaches advocacy on Doe’s behalf. But the full police investigation suggests that Doe, not Hegseth, initiated the sexual encounter. [Emphasis added.]

The incident occurred after an afterparty at the Republican Women’s Conference in Monterey, California, between Oct. 7 and 8, 2017. According to the report, the two had sex in the early morning of Oct. 8 after conversing at the hotel bar and arguing near the pool. Doe claimed she was sexually assaulted, said she could not remember most of the evening of Oct. 7, and expressed concern that “something may have been slipped into her drink.”

Hegseth, however, stated he had no intention of sleeping with Doe until she returned to his hotel room and remained there. He said that after initial confusion over her continued presence, “thing progressed” between them, ultimately leading to sexual intercourse.

Aside from Doe’s testimony, there is no evidence that she was intoxicated or impaired before or after the encounter. [Emphasis added.] She maintained a coherent text conversation with her husband throughout the night until approximately the time intercourse occurred. Her husband also stated that she showed no signs of intoxication when she returned to their room after the incident. [Emphasis added.]

However, a hotel employee who confronted Doe and Hegseth at the pool due to a noise complaint said Doe appeared sober, while Hegseth seemed “heavily intoxicated.” [Emphasis added.] Hegseth admitted he was “buzzed” and recalled being led away from the hotel bar by someone he could not identify. He described the person’s attire, which matched Doe’s dress. Additionally, Hegseth could not recall his encounter with Doe and hotel staff at the pool.

Hegseth stated that after he and Doe arrived at his hotel room, he became confused when she did not leave. [Emphasis added.] Eventually, they engaged in sexual activity, during which Hegseth said he repeatedly asked Doe for confirmation that she was comfortable….

The Hegseth incident addresses a cultural taboo because the most reasonable interpretation of the facts suggests either a consensual sexual encounter or a deliberate attempt by a woman to engage in sexual conquest. [Emphasis added.]

Although the legal definition of rape now technically allows for male victims, society continues to frame predation based on male behavior. Understanding female sexual aggression remains nearly impossible under current cultural conditions because discussions of sex and gender are politicized and incoherent. Sex is fluid, and men and women are supposedly interchangeable – until an accusation of sexual abuse arises. In those cases, men are almost always seen as suspects, never victims.

The Hegseth allegations highlight this reality. A man who engaged in Doe’s behavior would be criticized as a sexual predator. If a sober man walked a heavily intoxicated woman to her hotel room, refused to leave, and ultimately had sex with her, he would open himself up to cultural and legal liability. Because of her sex, however, Doe was able to present herself as Hegseth’s victim, even when relevant testimony appears to undermine her narrative. [Emphasis added.]

I studied about sexual coercion in my psychology class and learned some facts relevant to the Hegseth situation. The following information comes from my textbook, Development Through the Lifespan, Seventh Edition, by Laura E. Berk, pages 453-455.

·         “An estimated 19 percent of U.S. women, sometime in their lives, have endured rape, legally defined as vaginal, anal, or oral penetration with a body part or object by force, by threat of harm, or when the victim is incapable of giving consent (because of alcohol consumption, mental illness, or intellectual disability). About 45 percent of women have experienced other forms of sexual coercion….

·         “… Approximately half of all sexual assaults take place while people are intoxicated….” [Emphasis added.]

·         “About 2 percent of U.S. men have been victims of rape, and 23 percent victims of other forms of sexual coercion…. Although rape victims report mostly male perpetrators, women are largely responsible for other forms of sexual coercion against men….”

The textbook made several suggestions on how to prevent sexual coercion. They included the following:

·         “Reduce gender stereotyping and gender inequalities.

·         “Mandate treatment for both male and female perpetrators.

·         “Teach both men and women to take precautions that lower the risk of sexual assault.

·         “Broaden definitions of rape to be gender-neutral.

Hegseth does not claim to have been raped, but he does claim that the sexual activity was consensual. However, there can be no denial that he was the victim of a predatorial woman who may have been acting in connection with her husband to extort a famous and powerful man.