Sexual assault is a widespread health problem in Australian society and is primarily committed against women by men. This is a serious crime which not only undermines the integrity of the victim, but also their human rights (Queensland Government, 2015). To understand why men commit sexual assault against women, this article will use Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity (HM) to explain its occurrence. To do this, Connell's crime and concept of HM will be defined. Next, current research discussing the link between MH and sexual assault of women will be explored in order to understand how it explains the crime. Finally, this article will explore other possible explanations for why sexual assaults against women are committed by men, such as routine activities theory (RAT) and evolutionary perspective theory. We will then understand how the concept of HM explains why men can commit sexual assault on women. First, this article will explore the crime itself by defining it and briefly examining its impacts on victims. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essaySexual assault is known by many different names in Australian state and territory legislation, which this article will use interchangeably . Some of these names include sexual intercourse without consent, rape, sexual assault, and sexual penetration without consent. Sexual assault can include a wide range of behaviors, including one person forcing another person to have sex with them, to commit sexual acts, to view or engage in pornography, to unwanted sexual advances or harassment and sexual coercion. A person can still be forced to commit an act, even if they did not protest or physically resist the attacker (DSS, 2019). Current research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019) reveals that one in five women (1.7 million in total) have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15 in Australia. Other research on sexual assault has also found that women experience this violence primarily from men. Being a victim of sexual assault can have a significant impact on a person and have serious and lasting effects on their health, psychological well-being and relationships (AIHW, 2018). Now that sexual assault of women has been clearly defined and the impacts of the crime have been briefly explored, Connell's concept of HM will now be discussed in order to understand how it explains why men commit rape. In order to understand how Connell's concept of HM explains sexual assault of women, the concept will be discussed and explored. The concept of HM was first discussed in a field study conducted by Kessler, Ashenden, Connell, and Dowsett (1982), in which they examined social inequalities in the context of Australian high schools. The results of the study were then systematized in an article by Carrigan, Connell, and Lee (1985) before Connell (1987) integrated the model described in the article into a sociological theory of gender describing the concept of HM. Connell's theory of HM has since become the most cited source for this concept (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). It is described by Connell and Messerschmidt (2005) as the current idealized way of being a man, socially dominant compared to other types ofmasculinities, which are marginalized (Esplen and Greig, 2007). When understood as a form of social practice, SM permits male domination over women, as well as supporting a rape-friendly environment in which male violence is encouraged by patriarchal beliefs (Connell, 1987). ; Connell and Messerschmidt, 2005; How HM fosters a rape-friendly environment relies on the three social practices, procreation, protection, and provision, that must be practiced for men to achieve HM (Kersten, 1996). Procreation relates to the implementation of heterosexuality and the sexual domination of women, protection refers to physical control over all sexes, whether as enemies or property, and provision refers to the fact that a man provides resources to his family (Kersten, 1996). Achieving these three areas of social action allows a man to achieve idealized masculinity, or HM (Kersten, 1996). Levant, Rankin, Williams, Hasan, and Smalley (2010) also identified several dimensions and roles that men must adhere to in order to assert dominance, which encourages rape-supportive behaviors and beliefs. Some of these dimensions include restrictive emotionality, negativity toward sexual minorities, avoidance of femininity, and emphasis on sex, harshness, and dominance (Levant et al., 2010). Seen simply, the idea of ​​HM relates to the normative ideology that for men to be a “real man,” they must be dominant, both in society and over women (Connell and Messerschmidt, 2005; Mankowski and Maton, 2010). After a brief exploration of HM, it becomes clear that it supports the domination of a minority of men over other men and all women. To understand how this may lead men to sexually assault women, this article will examine current research on the link between MH and this crime. Current research exploring the link between MH and sexual assault of women will now be discussed in order to understand how the concept helps explain the crime. Messerschmidt (1993) considers sexual violence against women as a public representation of HM. Current research supports this hypothesis, as it has consistently been found that men who strongly adhere to HM norms may feel compelled to commit sexual aggression to maintain their need for dominance (Lonsway & Fitzgerald, 1994; Malamuth, Heavy, & Linz , 1996; Moore et al., 2008; Further research has also found that men who endorse certain aspects of MH are at greater risk of sexual assault against women (Murnen et al., 2002; Zurbriggen, 2010). Previously identified dimensions of male role norms promoted through MH, for example avoidance of women, have also been found to be independently and collectively correlated with sexual assault against women (Zurbriggen, 2010 ). Murnen et al. (2002) conducted a meta-analytic review of research on the link between masculine ideology, which can also be understood as HM, and sexual aggression and found that extreme ideology adherence was linked to men who committed sexual assaults on women. It is clear that current research has linked adherence to the concept of HM and sexual assault against women. This article will now attempt to explain how this connection could lead men to commit this crime. Using current literature surrounding the concept of HM, this essaywill now explain how it helps us understand sexual assault against women. It has previously been identified that some men strongly adhere to idealized masculine norms in SM, such as procreation, protection, and provisioning (Smith et al., 2015; Kersten, 1996). When these men feel that their dominance is weakened and that they must maintain it, they may be forced to be sexually aggressive towards women to do so (Smith et al., 2015). Strict adherence to HM may also cause masculine gender role stress in men when they experience situations in which their masculinity is threatened. Kimmel (2000) explains that men who experience this type of stress may perform a wide variety of actions in order to reassert their dominance and masculinity, and to subordinate others. Sexual assault, particularly against women, is considered the most effective method of achieving this, as it is generally considered the most obvious symbol of masculinity (Kimmel, 2000; Smith et al., 2015). Many other researchers also support the conclusion that the act of sexual assault against women is the ultimate demonstration of masculinity for men who feel they must embody SM. Men may also commit sexual assault because of the ideals by which men should live and act that are promoted by HM, also known as the "four rules of manhood", identified by Kimmel (2000). These are anti-femininity, status-seeking, inexpressiveness-independence, and adventurousness-aggression (Kimmel, 2000). In order to achieve HM, men should strive to embody these four rules of manhood; however, in doing so, they are socialized into behaviors that promote support for sexual assault against women (Kimmel, 2000). For example, anti-femininity refers to the idea that men should avoid displaying feminine traits or behaviors, while status attainment refers to the status that men should achieve through sports and jobs that put pressure on men to succeed. Inexpressiveness-independence refers to the concept that men should be emotionally detached and should be able to handle any crisis with composure, while adventurousness-aggressiveness refers to the idea that men should take risks physical, with an emphasis on physical feats of aggression. Kilmartin and Allison (2007) propose that embracing a spirit of adventure and aggression generally results in violent behavior. It is easy to see how each rule is recognizable in the manifestations of HM and how it can lead men to commit sexual assault on women. Although the concept of HM helps explain why men may engage in sexual assault against women, others have proposed alternative theories to explain why this crime is committed. Although the concept of HM can be used to explain why men commit sexual assault against women, other theories have also attempted to provide an explanation for why the crime was committed. RAT is a theory that proposes that the occurrence of sexual assault is influenced by three factors: the presence of likely offenders, the presence of guardians, and the availability of suitable targets (Cohen & Felson, 1979). The first condition, the presence of motivated offenders, can certainly be established when examining sexual assaults against women, as Schwartz and Pitts (1995) explain that the high rate of victimization is indicative of offendersmotivated. According to Schwartz and Pitts (1995), the second condition of RAT, lack of appropriate guardians, is also present when examining the crime. The third condition, the availability of suitable targets, can also be established in cases of sexual assault against women. When researchers talk about “suitable targets,” they generally mean male offenders and female targets, but also the legitimacy of potential offenders' use of violence against women in their culture (Schwartz & Pitts, 1995). RAT theorists also suggest that certain situations and locations may increase a woman's risk of being targeted, such as being intoxicated or being in contact with male sexual predators (Schwartz & Pitts, 1995). If these three conditions are met, then it is likely that a sexual assault against a woman will be committed. Another theory that attempts to explain the crime is the evolutionary perspective, which states that men may commit sexual assault on women due to their male psychology, designed to maximize their reproductive success (Quinsey & Lalumière, 1995). He proposes that crime is the result of manifestations of male sexual psychology (Quinsey and Lalumière, 1995). As can be seen, two alternative theories from RAT and the evolutionary perspective offer alternative explanations for why men commit sexual assault on women outside of Connell's concept of HM. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. .Get Custom EssayThis article defined sexual assault of women and discussed Connell's concept of HM. Research literature that has studied the link between MH and sexual assault against women was explored in order to explain how this concept could help us understand why this crime occurs. Other plausible explanations for why sexual assaults against women are committed, such as RAT theory and evolutionary perspective, were also discussed. It can now be clearly seen how Connell's concept of HM helps explain female sexual assault.ReferencesAustralian Institute of Family Studies. (2019). Research on sexual violence. Canberra: AIHWAAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018). Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia 2018. Canberra: AIHWBlack, MC, Basile, KC, Breiding, MJ, Smith, SG, Walters, ML, Merrick, MT, Chen, J. and Stevens, MR (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): Summary Report 2010. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCarrigan, T., Connell, B . and Lee, J. (1985). Towards a new sociology of masculinity. Theory and Society, 14(5), 551-604. doi:10.1007/BF00160017Cohen, L.E. & Felson, M. (1979). 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