Rape Culture

Rape culture is a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. There is disagreement over what defines rape culture and as to whether any societies currently meet the criteria for a rape culture, but behaviors commonly associated with rape culture—including victim blaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by some forms of sexual violence, or some combination of these—are certainly common in segments of culture within the United States, particularly in relation to college settings or professional settings.