Women’s History Month: Why it’s important to talk about violence against women

As many people know by now, the organization now known as Centre Safe was formerly the Centre County Women’s Resource Center. While our services for victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking have always been available to women, men and children and people of all gender identities and sexual orientations, when we changed our name two years ago, we wanted our new name to reflect that inclusivity. We have seen a steady increase in the number of men accessing our services as well as people who do not identify as either gender – and that is a good thing.

So why is it still important to talk about violence against women?

The primary reason we continue to talk about violence against women is the statistical reality of it. While it is certainly true that domestic and sexual violence happen across gender lines and identities (and we are increasingly aware of the large numbers of adult men who were sexually abused as children), it remains the case that women are more likely to be victims of domestic and sexual violence than men. Our statistics bear this out. In 2018-19, Centre Safe provided services to 154 women, 43 men and 5 transgendered victims of sexual assault.

The numbers are even more dramatic for victims of domestic violence, with 729 women served and 34 men. The number of men seeking services continues to grow, in part due to our outreach to that community. But the numbers of women who are experiencing domestic and sexual violence are exponentially higher.

This is true for several reasons. First, even though we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the U.S., it is still the case that women are underrepresented in the halls of legislative power, in business, and continue to be at a significant economic disadvantage in society. Women have fewer economic resources at their disposal which means that, as a group, they are less able to flee abusive situations, establish a financial foundation for themselves and their children, and are much more likely to live in poverty following a divorce or separation. This economic reality increases the potential that women will be victimized by domestic violence.

Women are also more likely to experience sexual assault than men. One doesn’t have to acknowledge that we live in a rape culture to know that women and their bodies are too often seen as commodities, available to be used in whatever way powerful men choose. The rise of the #MeToo movement has shown that sexual violence against women happens much more often than we’d like to admit.

March is Women’s History Month. It is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of women, to honor the women in our lives and our community, a time to celebrate women. But Women’s History Month, in addition to reminding us how far we’ve come, should also show us the path forward to creating a community and a society that truly values the lives of women and works to keep them safe.