Combating Sexual Harassment in the United States: Using Data to Inform Policy Decisions

The #MeToo movement amplified the voices of survivors of sexual assault and harassment all over the world. In solidarity, they pointed to the prevalence of sexual violence — affecting one-third of all women globally — and called for justice for victims of abuse. The social movement spurred a country-wide discussion on the matter; while national surveys indicate that 81% of women have experienced some kind of harassment, critics claimed that there was little analyzed data on the national prevalence of the issue. Addressing both the alarming nature of statistics and the viewpoint of these detractors requires collecting data on the location, frequency, and causes of harassment and ultimately using that data to inform tangible policy change going forward.

National Analysis: State Comparison

Analyzing the country heatmap below, it is evident that some states have a higher rate of rape, per 100,000 people, than others. This can partially be explained through examining state-specific sexual harassment training. For example, states with higher rates of rape, such as Alaska, Arkansas, and Colorado — depicted by darker shades on the map below — have no sexual harassment prevention training requirements in schools and the workplace. On the other hand, in states with the lowest rates of rape, like New Jersey and Connecticut — with rates of 17.2 and 21.6, respectively — legislation mandates employers to provide regular courses on sexual harassment.

Specifically, Alaska — with a rate of 148.7 — has the highest rate of sexual assault in the nation, with a staggering 59% of adult women having experienced sexual violence. This is explained by a number of factors: first, fighting sexual assault in Alaska is especially difficult due to small, isolated, tightly knit communities, along with a low number of law enforcement officials in the state. The state’s low population is further spread out over a large area, suggesting law enforcement may take hours, or even days, to reach the most isolated communities.

Evidently, South Dakota closely follows Alaska with the third highest rate of rape — at 72.6. Another possible reason for these high rates includes the high amount of Native American tribes in both states, as Native American women make up 61% of rape victims in Alaska and 40% in South Dakota. As the map below shows, around 20% of Alaska’s population and 11% of South Dakota’s is Native American. Similarly, this trend extends to states like Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Montana — all states with a high rate of rape according to the map above as well as a high population of Native Americans, according the one below.

The Biden administration can address the disproportionate ways in which Native women are impacted by sexual harassment by strengthening VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act. The data above points towards the pressing need for expanding the jurisdictional provisions in VAWA to protect Native women. Under the current legislation, Native American women that are sexually assaulted by non-Indian offenders are not able to seek justice since Tribal law enforcement lack jurisdiction to hold non-Indian offenders accountable. By reauthorizing VAWA, Biden can reaffirm tribal authority to prosecute non-native offenders — extending protections to Native American victims of sexual violence.

National Analysis: City Comparison

Finally, an analysis was performed at the city level by analyzing a dataset of more than 260 cities that studied physical/sexual crimes against women as well as indicators like female healthcare access, representation at the public policy level, and access to education and wealth. The below heatmap takes the top 15 and bottom 15 cities by overall rank. Darker shades of blue represent higher crime rates and less female representation at the policy level, and worse quality of healthcare and education, while lighter shades represent the latter. Here, the bottom half of the heatmap, with the 15 least safe cities, is constituted of all Southern cities. Meanwhile, the top half, with the 15 safest cities, is made up of mostly Northeastern and Californian towns.

Analyzing these diverse indicators shows the relationship of sexual violence/crime with policy, healthcare, and education across the U.S. The data implies that policymakers should invest their resources in healthcare and educational infrastructure, specifically in the South, to ensure women are have access to safe, crime-free living environments.

Addressing the Lack of Reporting Mechanisms

A deeper analysis of sexual assaults in the United States over the past 25 years shows us that the total number of rapes and assaults, while generally decreasing, has remained variable over time. Moreover, the proportion of victims that has reported assaults to the police has stayed fairly constant, at an average of 34% over the years. This shows us two things: first, only a minority of victims actually report their experiences to officials. And second, despite various initiatives throughout the years to increase this number, progress has clearly been limited.

The lack of reporting seen in the data above is often because victims have a fear of reprisal and believe that their concerns will not be heard or addressed by higher authorities. From a policy perspective, governments can enact more effective reporting mechanisms that both allow for victim anonymity and assure victims their complaints will be investigated extensively.

Analyzing Location and Relationship Data

Analyzing the location of sexual crimes, it is apparent that the majority, over 55%, take place at or near the victim’s home — most likely when the victim is feeling safest and in control of the situation. Moreover, another 12% occur near the home of a friend or relative, yet another familiar location.

Additionally, the visualization below shows that in 78% of sexual assaults, the offender is a nonstranger— for example an intimate partner, well-known/casual acquaintance, or relative. The statistic is shocking, and the fact that most assaults occur in a familiar location with a familiar perpetrator also explains the low rate of reporting pictured earlier.

Ultimately, both of these visualizations demonstrate that policymakers must emphasize sexual education at the national level. As many sexual assault incidents occur in situations that may feel familiar to victims, they may be unaware as to what constitutes sexual harassment and how best to report the experience without aggravating a partner or acquaintance. As a result, policymakers should invest in sexual education initiatives within schools and colleges.

Amplifying Victims’ Voices

Too often, victims of sexual violence are treated as just statistics, instead of humans with valid and often traumatizing experiences. As a result, in lifting the voices of victims, it is paramount to highlight their stories. The word cloud below represents the most common words and phrases used by victims in reports of harassment. The diagram shows action verbs that victims experience from offenders, for example words like “comment”, “touch”, “follow”, “harass”, and “whistle”. It also shows locations where harassment is likely to take place, for instance at “home”, the “market”, at “college”, or in the “bus”. Finally, the word cloud features sentiments — such as “uncomfortable” and “scared” — felt by women during such experiences. Evidently, the purpose of this chart is to concatenate and illustrate the stories of victims of sexual assault while visibly demonstrating the commonality between female experiences.

Ultimately, officials should amplify the narratives of marginalized women and take every harassment report seriously, thus empowering more women to share their stories and in turn further inform policy making.

Data to Deliverables

In summary, the above data implies that the following policy solutions will help to combat sexual assault on the national level:

1. Mandate and standardize sexual harassment training requirements across states
2. Strengthen VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) to address the disproportionate ways in which Native women are impacted by sexual harassment
3. Invest in healthcare and educational infrastructure, specifically in the South, to reduce sexual harassment crimes against women
4. Enact better reporting mechanisms that address victims’ concerns
5. Invest in stronger sexual education initiatives in schools and colleges
6. Amplify the voices of sexual assault victims and design policy with their experiences in mind

Data Sources

National Analysis

“Native American Population 2021” (World Population Review)

“Forcible Rape Rate in the U.S.” (Statista and World Population Review)

“Safest Cities for Women” (Value Penguin)

Lack of Reporting Mechanisms

“NCVS Victimization Tool” (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Location and Relationship Data

“NCVS Victimization Tool” (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

“Victim-offender relationship” (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Amplifying Voices

“Safecity Dataset Report” (Safecity)