Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.
“Rape is a crime that combines sex and violence, that makes sex the weapon in an act of violence.”(Kimmel 257) Because of this, rape is often traumatic for the victim of a rape.
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In general, men feel like if they take a woman out for dinner or to a movie, or make some sort of effort, that the woman is indebted to them. For their payment, they expect some sort of sex or sexual activity. “Though both men and women feel entitled to pleasure, and both have their first sexual experience because they want to, men still seem to believe that entitlement also covers acting on it-even when the woman doesn’t want to.” (Kimmel 232) The idea that men feel like they are entitled to sexual gratification after a date, and the fact that our culture makes women feel like they owe the man, makes date rape a much more common occurance than it should be. The cultural norm that this idea creates could be one of the leading causes in the fact that most rapes go unreported. With the education of both men and women, that this type of coercion is wrong, the common occurance of date rapes will hopefully soon be a thing of the past.
“Paranoia concerning the protection of white women from sexual assault by black men is a legacy of American slavery that has fequently served as a focus for racist exaggerations about black men”(LaFree 312) Interracial rapes seem to cause the greatest sensation in the news, when the victim is white and the rapist is black. When a black man violates a white women, the news as well as the public
Last week the White House released a short, celebrity packed, 60-second public service announcement (PSA) on the topic of sexual assault. 1 is 2 Many addressed those who are in control of preventing sexual assault as its intended audience was those who can put a stop to sexual violence: the perpetrators or would-be offenders. Although this one minute announcement completes the task of bringing sexual assault to the forefront of discussion, it fails to encompass central issues of rape culture: societal perceptions, the victim, and the justice system. Sexual assault is a phenomenon that has been around for centuries. The culture of sexual assault is rooted in both legal practices and societal perceptions; in order for its reforms to be
Rape is an experience which shakes the foundations of the lives of the victims. For many its effect is long term, impairing their capacity for personal relationships, altering their behaviour and values and generating fear, Temkin (1986:17).
Globally, rape is an occurring crime that victimises not only women but also children and men (Starman, 2009). From the legal perspective, rape is defined as the ‘vaginal, anal or oral penetration involving force, lack of consent or threat of force’ (Marvasti, 2004: 26). Elsewhere, rape has been defined as a form of sexual intercourse against the wish or the victim or by threat of harm. From the clinical perspective, most practitioners contend to the definition that rape is any form of forced sexual contact.
Rape is often a crime between and acquaintance, intimate partner, or family member Dabney, A. (2012). Known as acquaintance/date rape, this form of rape is an area where victims often can’t come to terms with their own victimization and often use somewhat similar neutralization techniques as presented by sykes and mataza. However these naturalization techniques used by rape victims, and in this case a study between spouse rapes, are very cultural based. Basile studies this version of rape between husbands who force themselves sexually upon their wife. Many respondents described various reasons as to why they let their husbands pass sexual advances. Ranging from social, cultural and violent standpoints, many used this as their neutralization method for their victimization. 1.) it’s my duty, often the social view that a woman in a marriage is contracted to have sexual relations with their husband, a view bolstered by religious views and society. 2.) Easier not to argue, most often victims would rather trade sexual advances than a heated verbal altercation. 3.) Not sure of what will happen or do know what will happen, is often a level of coercion that existed (Basile, K. C. 1999). Many victims out of fear or social norms will often rationalize this type of conduct towards them, and thus prolong their victimization
Rape can ruin lives. The sexually violent act is associated with a long list of public health concerns, including disease, unwanted pregnancy, physical trauma, mental and emotional suffering, and death. While rape can be simply defined as sex without consent, the impact rape has on society is complex. Victims are often stigmatized. They feel ashamed, weak and at fault. An estimated 18 percent of women in the US reported being raped at least once in their lifetimes, according to a 2007 study cited by the Center for Research on Violence Against Women. For college women, the numbers are slightly higher: 1 out of 5 women report being raped during their college years (as cited in Lawyer, Resnick, Von Bakanic, Burkett,
In accordance to the text rape is the act of forcefully having sexual intercourse without consent (Crooks and Baur 508). It is known that rape in some states is considered and described differently. It is a known fact that most rapes are done by a family member. Yet not many people will report the crime. Women ages 16 to 24 are the most frequent victims of reported rape in the United States (Crooks and Baur 513). In California, the Affirmative Consent Bill address that you voluntarily consent to any type of sexual activity. In other words, both persons mutually agree to sexual intimacy. The following developed essay will elaborate more on rape and sexual consent.
Over the years many feminists have sculpted what the definition of rape culture is. This term aims to shine a light on the different ways in which society has shifted blame from perpetrator to victims of sexual assault and in doing so, normalized male sexual violence. This is a complex set of beliefs developed within society that encourage male superiority and sexual aggression. This is dangerous because it creates an atmosphere where violence against women is supported. We, as a society, need to be more conscious about our values and ideals. We need to not only be aware of what is going on, but also stand up and see it for what it truly is.
In todays society, rape is defined as, “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” Also, in our society rape has a harsh reality following it, other than just the simple horrors that are embodied in it. Women are always accused of lying when they plea that they’ve been taken advantage of. This is debilitating to the victim, they swallow their pride and refuse to speak out because of the fear that their peers are going to say they either are lying, or over reacting, or that they obviously brought this on themselves. This predetermined notion, that women are asking to be raped, or that they are fibbing or over embellishing the ordeal, can be argued to have began in the 1800s.
When American culture thinks of rape, women are the primary victims that come to one's reasoning. We’ve painted a portrayal that says, women are initially the one gender that can be raped, and if we were to consider a man getting raped by a woman, it would be absolutely ridiculous. Reason being? A woman could never overpower a man. We have adjusted to live in a civilization that hearts masculinity. Unfortunately in the procedure we’ve turned a blind eye to the insignificant anticipation that a man can be raped by a woman as well. Male rape should not be a humorous joke to laugh about, it should be a secure concern we can communicate about without falling into a misleading hole of myths and in order to do this we must first diminish these mere myths.
If someone was asked, would you approve of rape? Usually, the answer would be no without any hesitation, but what people do not seem to realize is that people say yes to rape all the time due its promotion through rape culture that is everywhere in our society. The concept of rape culture is not new, but the term itself is and over the most recent years the definition of rape culture has gradually evolved, that there is not one specific definition for the term anymore. Women and men alike have started to research and discuss concepts revolving around rape culture using a variety of definitions that fit the concept of rape culture. Several of the information gathered from a variety of research has been very interesting and eye opening to the
“Women should not venture out with men who are not relatives” (Indian politician Abu Azmi on increased incidences of rapes in India). “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways of shutting that whole thing down” (Todd Akin, Republican representative from Missouri). “If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it” (Clayton Williams, Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate in 1990). These are the words that swim through girls minds like vicious sharks ripping at our strength. We grow up hearing the statistics. One in six women will experience attempted or completed rape. 82% of women report knowing their attacker. In the United States a new rape is reported approximately every five minutes, and yet, only 16% of rapes are reported to the
The issue of the legitimate meaning of rape has been an especially critical one, particularly in light of the sheer quantities of women that experience some type of sexual brutality. In opposition to prior under standings (and without a doubt official measurements) that set that rape and sexual infringement were uncommon and surprising occasions, contemporary insights demonstrate that sexual brutality is broadly experienced by women.
Rape happens way too often to people all over the world and can affect a person's entire life and their well-being. Rape is a form of sexual assault, it is usually used as a legal definition to include sexuall penetration witout consent. Sexual assault refers to sexual contract or behavior that occurs without explicit consent from the victim. It can be anything from attempted rape, fondling or unwanted sexual touching, forcing a victim to performing sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrators body, or penetration of the victim's body, also known as rape. Being sexual assaulted or raped can take a big toll on someone and their mental health and well being. Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. The victims tend to blame themselves for what happened to them, but that is not all true. It is never the victim's fault, they did not decide to themselves in that situation, it is only the perpetrator who is in the wrong. The perpetrator uses force to get what they want no matter how the victim feels or wants, they only take into consideration what they are here for. They will use physical force but that is not the only way they get what they want, they have different tactics to get the victim where they want, they have everything planned out. They will use emotional coercion, psychological force, or manipulation to coerce a victim into non-consensual sex. The perpetrators will use threats to force a victims to comply, for example, they will start to
Rape cases across the world are rapidly rising. Today, rape is more socially acceptable than in previous times. “Every 109 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every eight minutes, that victim is a child. Meanwhile, only six out of every one thousand perpetrators will end up in prison” (Statistics). Rape has a lasting impact on a victim 's daily life. Rape is defined as any sexual act performed by inserting any object into any body part without the consent of the other person.
Littleton mentions in the article citing from Paul and Hayes 2002 & Paul et al. 2000 how one of the myths regarding rape could be from the “greater acceptance of causal sexual encounters between men and women, however; engaging in causal sexual encounters is viewed differently between men and women and how in general this type of behavior is viewed to enhance a man’s reputation and social status as a proof of their sexual prowess and masculinity” (Rape Myths and