Bars as a Drinking Context for Sexual Aggression

Drinking contexts such as bars and nightclubs have long been described as permissive environments for excessive drinking, disruptive and aggressive behavior, as well as overt sexual behaviors not typically displayed in most other public contexts. In this chapter, we review and synthesize research related to the bar as a context for sexually aggressive behavior among heterosexual individuals. Both feminist and routine activities theories provide a conceptual lens for understanding findings from qualitative and quantitative research related to: (1) the physical characteristics of bars (e.g., noise, nondrinking activities) that promote an environment in which sexual aggression is likely to occur; (2) men’s attitudes and beliefs associated with perpetration of sexual aggression; and (3) women’s experiences related to male-perpetrated sexual aggression, including unwanted sexual advances and persistence, in the bar context. Researchers have used a variety of methods (e.g., surveys, experiments, event-based data collection) to elucidate risk factors associated with bar-related sexual aggression. These risk factors, their implications for prevention and intervention, as well as topics for future research will be discussed.