Sexual Behavior

Many issues remain unresolved in sexuality. In some cases this is because the infor­ mation is not available to resolve them. In others it is, but the available conclusions the information supports block its acceptance, because they conflict with the posi­ tions of dominant groups in the politics of sexuality. Possibly the most obvious example is the determination of many theorists to ignore the evidence that while men rarely report being sexually assaulted, when questioned in community surveys, they make up a third of the victims, and a quarter of the perpetrators of sexual assault are women. These findings are incompatible with the feminist theory that sexual assault is not a sexual act, but normal male behavior motivated politically, to maintain men's dominance of women. Most research supporting the theory investigated women only as victims and men only as aggressors. Some feminists have dismissed the need for any research to support their beliefs on the ground that such research is "busy work" establishing what women already know. One belief considered not to require re­ search is that heterosexual pornography made for a male audience increases the prevalence of rape by encouraging rape-supportive attitudes of male aggression and female submission. No criticism has been directed at the soft-core pornography of "Mills and Boon" stories written for women that promote similar attitudes.