Beyond Consent: How Institutional Cultures and Entitlement Enable Sexual Assault

While consent education is important, it fails to address the broader cultural and institutional factors that perpetuate sexual violence, including perceptions of entitlement and status-seeking behaviors among perpetrators. Sexual assault should be understood as a violation of autonomy rather than a failure of consent communication, requiring examination of what perpetrators believe they deserve and how institutions protect them. Meaningful prevention requires systemic change that holds institutions accountable and prioritizes survivor protection over institutional reputation.

The article examines a legal case involving alleged sexual assault at Cornell University, where a woman sued the institution and seven male students after an incident in October 2024. The case serves as a focal point for discussing how perpetrators use dehumanizing language and group dynamics to normalize sexual violence, with evidence suggesting victims were discussed as commodities rather than people with autonomy. Research cited indicates that institutional procedures often inadvertently protect accused individuals while compounding harm to survivors through bureaucratic processes designed primarily to shield organizational reputation rather than ensure accountability or support victims.