They happen so frequently because the actual assaults happen so frequently. Yes. That frequently. Yes.
Sexual assaults are not about sex and relationships, they are about power. Therefore, anyone in a position of power has a higher propensity to become abusive. Sexual Abuse in the halls of power flows from two paths:
Firstly, you’ve heard the adage, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”? Anyone in a position of power with a weak moral compass and lacking in empathetic character traits will be susceptible to corruption. They will seek to gain the system for personal rewards. For men, who have been socialized for alpha male mentality, women and sexual conquest are viewed as a rightfully earned prize because of their accrual of power. Because there is very little push back and even protection from their peers and institution (that fund you mentioned being one), that tendency is reinforced and becomes worse over time. Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be a rape to be a sexual assault and a coerced sexual encounter is not a relationship, it is rape in the 3rd degree. Violations start off small and escalate over time as they get away with their behavior and women who do come forward are silenced, fired, or otherwise punished. IT HAPPENS.
Secondly, sexual assault by weak men against women is a means to re-establish real or perceived loss of power status. Since gender is the first divide the quickest, easiest, most likely to succeed strategy is to attack a woman. That first divide subordinates one half of the population to the other. So attacking a woman is a dominance display that reestablishes position over at least half of the population in the mind of the aggressor. It makes them feel better and becomes a stress release to the rigors of the job. Again, as that conduct is applauded by other men and women who seek justice are denied it there will be an inevitable escalation from “minor” sexist trope behavior that doesn’t really harm and women “participate" in (this is usually some type of grooming) to outright violent rape if they are not checked.
They rarely are. So violent sexual assault is just a matter of time and opportunity.
These are deeply imbedded phychological mindsets of an out of balance, overly androphilic culture that has become toxic.
To be fair:
No one is saying that being male is inherently bad, only that being male is not inherently better than be being female. Equity gaps are bad for society whether they are based on economics or gender. An overt societal love of one gender coupled with an overt societal hate of another creates an equity gap that will cause societal problems and unhappiness for all concerned.
Women of poor moral fiber placed in a position of power will absolutely have just as high a tendency towards corruption. While some of it will be sexual predation of various sorts, sexual assaults overall will not be as prevalent.
Women corrupted by position will not engage in sexual assault as a means of exhibiting or regaining lost dominance. I believe for the most part it falls under the “I’m owed” category.
If our culture was one that existed as women > men and men were regarded as weaker and inferior in every meaningful way then women would be more prone to rampant sexual assault crimes against men.
Women have been socialized to accept sexual aggression in men just as men have been socialized to be sexually aggressive. They also, for years, were taught to not fight back, to survive under the incorrect guise that rapists are boogeymen in dark alleys and not more likely to be people you know. This particular aspect of sex ed has been just as damaging to both young men and women as “Stranger Danger” was to young children. Happily, a much needed social correction has begun with #MeToo and #TimesUp.
