| Sexual assault (SA) is a critical public health problem, and there are many barriers that impede college women from reporting. Although there are many studies that explore these barriers, there is a lack of understanding regarding the cultural implications to reporting. The existing literature often uses race as a proxy for culture when exploring sexual assault crime reporting behaviors, and has not yet explored the probable differences between them. Hence, this study investigated the reporting rate differences among sexually assaulted college females using a cultural lens. A quantitative methods approach was used for this study and a survey was designed to address seven perceived barriers and its importance to crime reporting among underrepresented minority college women. The findings indicated that culture matters and race and culture are not synonymous and should not be used interchangeably, as race appears to be one-dimensional, while culture is multi-dimensional and comprised of different variables. The results of this research project, with reference to existing studies and implications for future research, are discussed. |
