In 56 per cent of the instances, men used verbal pressure. In 26 per cent of the instances men used a physical threats, and caused physical harm in more than 25 per cent of the instances. Some 22 per cent of the women were drugged.
The results suggest a problem that for women across the board, though women who were raped, sexually assaulted or forced into intercourse were less likely to be white. They were also more likely to live below the poverty level and less likely to have a college education.
"We feel it is accurate to describe these events as rape," said Dr. Laura Hawks, a primary care physician and research fellow at Harvard Medical School who co-authored the study.
Earlier research has shown that more than 40% of women have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, and half of those have been raped.
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