SEXUAL COERCION AMONG UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS - A COMPARISON OF THE UNITED-STATES AND SWEDEN

Sociocultural theorists, including feminist theorists, propose that th e prevalence of sexual coercion in a society is related to male domina nce in the social structure and a culture that sustains it. Other theo rists also propose that the prevalence of sexual coercion is directly related to the general level of violence in a society. Numerous studie s support the views that women in Sweden have more institutional power and social benefits than do women in the United States, the double st andard of sexuality is weaker in Sweden than in the United States, and Levels of violent crime and types of interpersonal violence are lower in Sweden. In the research reported here, we examined factors associa ted with, and differences in, the prevalence of sexual coercion among a sample of students at a university in. Sweden (N = 570) and one in t he United Stales (N = 407). U.S. university students reported higher r ates of both physical and nonphysical sexual coercion than did Swedish university students. These findings are discussed in the context of s ociocultural variations in the two countries.