CDC: 1 in 5 Women Are Rape Victims

The CDC is out with numbers from a comprehensive new survey on rape and sexual assault, and the main takeaway is grim: More than 19% of women in the US, nearly one in five, have been raped at some point in their lives, reports Bloomberg. When the definition is broadened to include other forms of sexual violence, the percentage of female victims rises to 44%. The victims include those unable to give consent because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, notes Salon. The CDC estimates more than 11 million women were raped in that manner in 2011.

The report also says 2% of men have been raped, and 23% have been victims of sexual violence of some kind. In fact, New York highlights this paragraph from the CDC report itself: "Consistent with previous studies, the overall pattern of results suggest that women, in particular, are heavily impacted over their lifetime. However, the results also indicate that many men experience sexual violence, stalking, and, in particular, physical violence by an intimate partner. " For both genders, the abuse is most likely to have happened before age 25. (One man raped at age 14 has now been ordered to pay child support for the daughter he fathered.)