Speaking of autism, this article mentions some characteristics of autistic women that seem potentially relevant:
Sensory sensitivity. People with autism experience the world in a different way than neurotypical people, and many women with autism experience intense sensory sensitivity. They may have a heightened sense of awareness when it comes to smells, light, sounds, and touch.
For someone with autism, it’s not just a matter of “not liking” certain things; it’s a sense of being unable to tolerate them.
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Emotional regulation issues and meltdowns. Women with autism often have problems with emotional regulation. Research has shown that there is a poor connection between the frontal cortex and the amygdala in people with autism.4 Put simply, the amygdala can be thought of as an “emotion centre” in our brain, as it’s part of our limbic system and our mammalian brain. The frontal cortex can be thought of as our “thinking brain,” the more rational part of our brain which makes judgments.
Because of the poor connection between the two areas, women with autism may find it hard to rationalise situations and stay in control. Many describe having meltdowns: extreme emotional reactions to situations that might result in losing their temper, crying, or going into shutdown mode.
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Anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are not universal symptoms of autism. But because life is difficult for many women with autism, it is common for them to experience mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or problems with addiction. There is also a far higher than average rate of suicidality in women with autism, which appears to be related to the degree of camouflaging they engage in.5 Though their autism goes undiagnosed, it is more likely that they will receive a formal diagnosis for anxiety, depression or another mental health issue.
I think autistic men and women have a lot to contribute to the EA movement.
It seems to me that we should be especially protective towards autistic women, as they’re a potentially vulnerable population. In particular, I hypothesize that autistic women might experience e.g. sensory overload from unpleasant social interactions that neurotypical women would evade or brush off.
OP mentions that 90% of autistic women report being sexually assaulted. A quick Google suggests the number for neurotypical women is substantially lower. There is a lot of uncertainty in my mind regarding the cause of this disparity. It could be that autistic women are targeted by predators; it could be that autistic women experience a “sexual assault” level of trauma from a broader set of interactions; it could be some combination.
In any case, I like almost all the autistic women I’ve met, and it upsets me that they’re disproportionately suffering. I think it would be good if EAs took a protective attitude towards a vulnerable population which, IMO, has a lot to contribute.
This is very insightful. I can think of a few reasons why autistic women may be more vulnerable to sexual abuse:
Autistic women may be more isolated from protective informal networks with other women that could warn them or help them make sense of their relational experiences.
In general, they may be less communicative about “touchy-feely” things like intimate interactions, making it more difficult to analyze them.
They may gravitate towards fields and environments that are male-dominated and contain strong power gradients (in finance, engineering, AI, etc).
They may be less alert to people’s hidden motives.
Due to their neurological wiring, the intensity of the experience may cause them to “leave their bodies”, making it impossible to react quickly or fight back. This can mistakenly cause the man to allege consent, especially if he’s used to passive intimate partners.
The overload of the experience may make it more difficult to process it afterward, too. Women have reported prolonged periods of confusion, dissociation from their bodies, and a sense of horror without being able to clearly articulate the crime.
Many people on the autism spectrum have experienced punishments and shaming for violating social norms from early childhood, leading to insecurity about expressing themselves. This makes it harder to confidently express their preferences in intimidating or manipulative situations.
The same threat about violating social norms keeps them quiet afterwards, too. One woman reported that after she disclosed her spectrum identity, she was told by a rationalist “community council” member that she would violate a social norm if she named her abuser.
Speaking of autism, this article mentions some characteristics of autistic women that seem potentially relevant:
I think autistic men and women have a lot to contribute to the EA movement.
It seems to me that we should be especially protective towards autistic women, as they’re a potentially vulnerable population. In particular, I hypothesize that autistic women might experience e.g. sensory overload from unpleasant social interactions that neurotypical women would evade or brush off.
OP mentions that 90% of autistic women report being sexually assaulted. A quick Google suggests the number for neurotypical women is substantially lower. There is a lot of uncertainty in my mind regarding the cause of this disparity. It could be that autistic women are targeted by predators; it could be that autistic women experience a “sexual assault” level of trauma from a broader set of interactions; it could be some combination.
In any case, I like almost all the autistic women I’ve met, and it upsets me that they’re disproportionately suffering. I think it would be good if EAs took a protective attitude towards a vulnerable population which, IMO, has a lot to contribute.
This is very insightful. I can think of a few reasons why autistic women may be more vulnerable to sexual abuse:
Autistic women may be more isolated from protective informal networks with other women that could warn them or help them make sense of their relational experiences.
In general, they may be less communicative about “touchy-feely” things like intimate interactions, making it more difficult to analyze them.
They may gravitate towards fields and environments that are male-dominated and contain strong power gradients (in finance, engineering, AI, etc).
They may be less alert to people’s hidden motives.
Due to their neurological wiring, the intensity of the experience may cause them to “leave their bodies”, making it impossible to react quickly or fight back. This can mistakenly cause the man to allege consent, especially if he’s used to passive intimate partners.
The overload of the experience may make it more difficult to process it afterward, too. Women have reported prolonged periods of confusion, dissociation from their bodies, and a sense of horror without being able to clearly articulate the crime.
Many people on the autism spectrum have experienced punishments and shaming for violating social norms from early childhood, leading to insecurity about expressing themselves. This makes it harder to confidently express their preferences in intimidating or manipulative situations.
The same threat about violating social norms keeps them quiet afterwards, too. One woman reported that after she disclosed her spectrum identity, she was told by a rationalist “community council” member that she would violate a social norm if she named her abuser.