One in Sixteen
Per a 2016 study published in JAMA1, 1 in 16 fertility aged US girls’ and women’s first sexual encounter is either forced or coerced. Statistically, these women are more likely to experience unwanted pregnancy, abortion, STI’s, pelvic inflammation and mental health struggles including low self-esteem and difficulty making decisions. These issues can persist throughout their lifetimes. This artwork represents the statistic through six panels of recycled domestic textiles; an earth pigment figure, based on early Greek Cycladic forms, is appliquéd on each of the panels. Ten pattern pieces of the figure on tracing paper represent the 10 unfinished panels; these panels remain unfinished as the issue remains unresolved. The figure representing the woman/girl whose first sexual experience was forced or coerced is sewn onto a white linen background of hand-embroidered botanicals. Three plants are represented in this background, and each has been used by humans for centuries as either a contraceptive or abortifacient. Earth pigment from Mississippi is used to represent the figures. In the US, Mississippi ranks number 1 in prevalence of STIs per capita and is the state responsible for legislation that overturned Roe v. Wade, adversely affecting US women’s access to much-needed healthcare. The JAMA study raises an important question about responsibility and asks what socio-cultural changes need to happen to help shift this unsettling statistic. More directly, what changes need to occur in boys’ and men’s behavior to prevent sexual violence and alleviate this health crisis among US women? Also, what additional healthcare and educational measures can be put in place to support these women and girls?
1. Hawks L, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU, Bor DH, Gaffney A, McCormick D. Association Between Forced Sexual Initiation and Health Outcomes Among US Women. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(11):1551–1558. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.3500
