consented to have sex with me again,” “It’s not a rape if it happens after drinking or taking drugs”: these quotes about rape are few to the numerous myths that circulate society today. 1 out of every 6 American women has been sexually assaulted, yet this statistic is only from victims who come forward (Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics”). The problem in America today is the “Rape Culture” in which we live. A Rape Culture is defined as a “rape prevalent society in which sexual violence is normalized
from getting raped. In this paper, I will discuss how living in a rape culture affects women and men, how does rape myths affect society and how we can change the negative effects of living in a rape culture and rape myths. In order to understand this, we must first define what rape is. Rape is unwanted sexual attentions or actions that are directed to a person. Rape can happen to anyone but it is most common to happen women. Rape happens to women around the ages of 16-24 and it is “considered to
A critical discussion of potential barriers for male victims in reporting rape with reference to psychological theories of rape The search for sex and gender differences has had a long history in mainstream psychology. Sex refers to a person’s biological background which is typically categorised as male, female or intersex based on sex chromosomes, hormones and anatomy. In contrast, gender is termed as a psychological state which involves attitudes, feelings and behaviours associated to a person’s
The feminist theory is not the only theory about rape. In this section, we are going to examine briefly some other important theories about rape. We are going to start the discussion with the objectification theory. This theory claims that women are sexually objectified by men, and basically treated as an object (Szymanski et. al., 2011:7). Women are not viewed as a person but as a sexual/physical object, with only purpose to sexually please a man. According to Szymanski et al., (2011:8) this view
other person. Sexual assault is also heavily related to the rape myths that exist within society and these are the decisive factors when resolving a sexual assault case. These rape myths generally target the victim of sexual assault blaming them for the actions that occurred. The first case involving consent and rape myths to ever reach the Supreme Court of Canada to be resolved is the case of
Rape myths are an extremely active concept in society. Over time, the same rape myths have been recurrently applied when the concept of sexual assault arises. In John Hamlin’s (2001) study he defines rape myths as prejudicial outlooks on sexual assault which effectively downplay its severity and discredits the complainant. Hamlin states that “[rape] myths exist for many historic reasons which include inherited structural conditions, gender role expectations, and the fundamental exercise of power
Sport Culture 's Influence on Rape and Violence Many cases of athletes committing sexual assault have been present in the media, especially throughout the past 5 years. For example, Steubenville High School football in 2012, Vanderbilt football in 2013, and a Florida State athlete in 2014. Sports team members make up less than two percent of most campus populations, but the comprise about 20.2 percent of the men involved in sexual assault or attempted sexual assault (Flood & Dyson). These cases
A. Nicholas Groth’s book Men Who Rape The Psychology of the Offender is a revelation towards anyone who ever believed in the common myths surrounding female sexuality and what stereotypically marks a potential rapist (stranger in the streets, homeless man etc.). The book is lauded by critics as being a must have for anyone professionally working with offenders or victims of sexual violence. This book provided me a clear understanding as to why men rape, which is based on three primary reasons: power
innocent, but these gender socializations, values, and teachings generate myths about rape and spread a rape culture that is widespread on most college campuses across the country. The Problem with Supportive Rape Culture Fitzgerald and Lonsway define myths of rape as “false but persistent beliefs and stereotypes regarding forced sexual intercourse and the victims and perpetrators of such acts” (Kahlor). These rape myths include opinions that women who act or dress offensively are asking to be raped
The Prevalence and Effects of Rape The prevalence of rape is a major social problem that plagues America and other countries around the world daily. Victims of rape are psychologically, and sometimes physically damaged from being sexually assaulted. Although it would seem that it is a sexually motivated crime, rape “is actually an act of violence in which sex is used as a weapon against a powerless victim” (Kendall 197). Neither rapists, nor rape victims are concentrated to one specific class or