The headline says one in sixteen women's first sexual experience is rape. Reading the article, one discovers that only 28% of these were actual rape by the legal definition (leaving aside some that might be considered statutory rape, which isn't discussed). In other words the real figure isn't 1 in 16, but 1 in 57, similar to criminal justice statistics.
Aside from actual rape, the most clearly defined category of "coercion" described here consists of a girl's partner letting her know under what conditions he'll be interested in continuing the relationship. Of course girls tell their boyfriends this kind of thing too, but you aren't likely to find any studies about it, let alone see it mischaracterized as a crime.
The researchers appear to justify their incorrect usage by saying the consequences of not-as-defined-by-law "rape" can be traumatic, but no evidence is mentioned in support of this claim. (If one follows a few links, one can find a study claiming an “association” between “persuaded” sex and negative health outcomes. Occam’s razor might suggest this is because poor self-assertion/low self-esteem is the underlying cause of both, rather than because one causes the other.) And the negative mental health outcomes described aren't broken down by legal vs. non-legal definitions of rape.
Perhaps most concerning should be the fact that these purported scientists, by using the word "force" where no non-consensual contact occurred, are contributing to the campaign to redefine words as violence.
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