Neil Gilbert

About the author: Neil Gilbert is a professor of social welfare at the University of California at Berkeley and coauthor of Protecting Young Children from Sexual Abuse.

A study conducted by Mary Koss in 1985 is often cited by feminist groups in support of their claims that over half of all college women will be raped over four years, and more than one-quarter of them will be victimized twice. However, this study is flawed: Most of the women Koss labeled as victims of rape did not interpret their experiences as rape, and many continued sexual relationships with their supposed rapists. In addition, Koss offers unconvincing explanations, such as "self-blame," for the vast disparity that exists between her findings and the small numbers of rapes that are reported to college authorities. This...