Utah has lots to boast about. Our mountains, universities and tech are world class. And U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings for 2024 just gave us top honors around education, economy and infrastructure.
But we can’t ignore the darker aspects of living in our state. The area that most concerns me is the rates of violence against girls and women, which are focused on data in three key areas: child sexual abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.
First, according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System’s (BRFSS) data, the “prevalence of sexual child abuse in Utah is higher than nationally (13.9% or ~1 in 7 vs 11.6% or ~1 in 9).” Several other sources also allude to findings that child sexual abuse is indeed a serious and troubling concern in Utah. Although this impacts boys, too, girls and young women experience significantly higher levels of abuse.
In fact, four years ago I published an editorial titled “1 in 5 Utah girls were sexually assaulted last year,” which was based on Centers of Disease Control (CDC) data. Perhaps because it is so unsettling, in 2023 most Utahns did not believe that child sexual abuse was a problem in their own immediate community. In short, people think, “Not in my neighborhood.”
Second, we know that sexual assault is a significant social, criminal justice and healthcare issue in Utah. In fact, a seminal study in 2007 reported that 1 in 3 Utah women experienced sexual assault in their lifetimes, and 1 in 6 Utah women experienced rape.
Sadly, Utah is ranked 9th out of 50 states for the number of rapes per capita, and the Utah Department of Health reported in 2021 that Utah rape rates were 33% higher than the U.S. rape rates. Yet, it is estimated that a small percentage of individuals (11.8%) who have experienced rape or sexual assault in the state have reported the crime to law enforcement.
Third, domestic violence — including intimate partner violence — is a serious and widespread issue affecting women and families in Utah. One in 3 Utah women will experience some form of contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in her lifetime.
Additionally, according to The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (2010-2012 State Report), 41.6% of Utah women will experience psychological aggression, 35.5% will experience expressive aggression and 36.4% will experience coercive control in their lifetime.
Yet, in a recent representative Utah study, only 25.6% of respondents firmly agreed that domestic violence was a problem. Over 50% were either unsure or disagreed — as if “disagreeing” with domestic violence will make it cease to exist.
Sadly, denial does not make things go away. In fact, ignoring issues allows them to fester and grow. Even with all the data and evidence around this violence within Utah families and communities, we most often continue to ignore these issues and focus on conversations around what a great place Utah is to live. Even worse, many continue to excuse and rationalize why we shouldn’t be concerned. In fact, a few months ago I had an individual tell me that there was “no way Utah had higher violence rates than other states because we have such a good religious culture here.” This prompted me to write a recently published piece titled “The link between domestic violence and religiosity.” I would argue that if we truly care about our families and Utah as a state, we must break the silence and take these issues seriously.
Power disparity is at the root of violence. Research continues to show that when men have significantly more power than women — in homes, groups, communities and societies — there tends to be more issues with abuse. At its foundation, power is about relationships. According to the Sociology Institute, power is “the capacity to effect or prevent change, to influence others, and to control resources … it often operates through subtler mechanisms like persuasion, cultural norms and institutional authority.”
The bottom-line is this: When homes, groups, organizations, and societies shift to what is called a “Partnership System,” violence decreases and all members of families and communities better thrive. This includes respect for all contributions including household management, childcare, volunteer work and caregiving work more generally — which is as critical and important as paid contributions. The trouble is that a lot of people and entities say they value these things, but the deeper culture does not — words versus actions. It is well beyond just saying we value these things, which is often in the form of benevolent sexism. Lip service, like denial, maintains the status quo.
A significant amount of work and funding need to be flooded into reducing violence for girls and women — and boys and men — to shift the current trends within our state. Although some people continue to excuse and rationalize why we shouldn’t be concerned, there are many brave people willing to acknowledge that things need to change, particularly for their daughters and granddaughters. Owning the hard parts doesn’t take away from the good. Only when we prioritize safety and security can our state truly thrive.
Susan R. Madsen
Susan R. Madsen, Ed.D., is the inaugural Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership & Director, Utah Women & Leadership Project, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University.
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