Source: The Mercury, 22 April, 1999, p.3 Source: The Mercury, 22 April, 1999, p.3
ALMOST one-third of young men believe it is acceptable to "force" a female to have sex, new research suggests. The Family Planning survey found 31% of young men agreed it was "OK for a male to force a female to have sex" in one or more of a range of situations. And Family Planning has identified cultures which put a high priority on "scoring" to prove manhood and myths that "men know when women want to have sex" as factors in the results. The most common situations that young men agreed were acceptable to force a woman to have sex included: * She has had sex with him before. * She has allowed him to touch her body. * They have been going out together for a long time. Other reasons included, "she is stoned or drunk", "she has had sexual intercourse with other men", "she starts to be sexual with him but than says no". The disturbing snapshot is contained in a survey of 1000 young men aged between 15 to 25 in South Australia. In the wake of the results, Family Planning has developed Rape Myth Buster fact sheets suitable for SA's secondary schools and youth agencies. A Family Planning spokesman said the findings were alarming. "It's no wonder there is such a demand for services that help women overcome the effects of rape," he said. However, another report released yesterday showed a balanced and sensible attitude towards gambling despite the fact more than 80% had been exposed to gambling before they turned 13. The study, Young People, Gambling and the Internet, found 82% of children had been exposed to gambling before the age of 13. But most of the youths surveyed held balanced perceptions on gambling and had a strong awareness of the downside of the pastime. "Very few of the youth considered gaming to be a source of quick and easy money," the report found. It found today's youth were gambling on a range of gaming and wagering services, the most popular being raffles, scratch lotteries, Melbourne Cup sweeps, card games and horse race betting. The survey of 114 youths in New South Wales, aged between 10 and 21, by the Australian Council of Social Services, also found boys had participated more frequently in all forms of gambling, except bingo, than girls. ACOSS president Robert Fitzgerald said the report found youth from Indo-Chinese and Chinese cultural backgrounds were in a higher risk group for gambling problems.
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