If a woman says no and a man continues to make sexual advances beyond her limits, he is guilty of sexual assault. In order to avoid hurting other people, and to avoid commiting a crime, men need to make sure that the person with whom they are sharing sexual intimacy is fully consenting. If a man has sex with a woman without her consent, he commits the crime of rape. In Wisconsin, rape is a crime punishable with up to 40 years in prison, and 15 years on the Wisconsin sex offender registry. Forcing sex constitutes rape, which is a serious crime.
Men can challenge sexism in the culture.
Cultural messages that say masculinity is about violence and violence is erotic promote a rape culture. Men can help prevent rape by challenging friends, co-workers, and family members when they tell sexist jokes, share stories that glorify rape and demean women, or use rape as a threat. Men can intervene in situations in which they observe dangerous behavior by asking a woman whether she needs assistance and by preventing men from assaulting women who cannot at that moment speak for themselves. Men can convey the message that rape is not cool or sexy but is, in fact, abusive, humiliating and degrading to women, and a failure in masculine self-control on the part of men who commit it. Moreover, men can support each other in not falling into traps of gender socialization, and in living their lives as emotionally aware, nurturing, respectful, empowered people without the need to dominate or control others.