A startling study conducted by The Fawcett Society has found that almost half of young men think that women are to blame if they are drunk while being sexually assaulted. 38 per cent of men and 34 per cent of females think that women should take responsibility if they are assaulted on a night out.
Different opinions depending on age
41 per cent of men aged 18-34 think women are partially to blame for sexual assault on nights out- a staggering 14 per cent believe that a women is to blame for sexual assault if she is drunk, according to the study of 8,000 people.
However, in older demographics, it is most likely females that believe women are to blame if they are sexually assaulted.
55 per cent of women over 65 stated that it is the women's fault if she is sexually assaulted compared to 45 per cent of men. Sam Smethers, the chief executive of The Fawcett Society, stated: "I can't think of any other crime in which the victim is blame so readily as sexual assault. Females are being held responsible for the abhorrent behaviour of their attackers. The study reveals to us how ingrained our readiness to blame women is within our culture".
"Females experience lad culture on a daily basis. Just saying "no" to turn down an approach by a male at a bar can sometimes lead to violence.
This hostility towards women is surprisingly high," said Sam Smethers. The president of the United States Donald Trump has been accused of normalising "lad culture" and "locker room banter" by his critics.
An astonishing 18 per cent of men between the ages of 25-34 stated that they didn't want females to enjoy equality with men.
14 per cent of men aged 18-24 stated they don't want women to be equal men.
Women's rights demonstrations
The report by The Fawcett Society was released to coincide with a Women's march to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump. Over 2.5 million marched in over thirty different countries. In London, over 100,000 people demonstrated outside the US embassy, with many more marches occurring around the nation. Anti-Trump protests continue to occur across the globe.
