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Essay on Rape in American Culture
Discussions and research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of rape tend to dichotomize the issue: this is a rape; that is not a rape. Each individual has a conscious or unconscious image or definition of rape and makes assumptions about other persons' perceptions. Both personal experience and research findings show my assumptions would be wrong. My definition of rape is not necessarily identical to that held by other women, by my siblings, or by my colleagues. Some dimensions I bring to bear in defining a sexual encounter as rape may be similar to those they use, but the worth is attach to a particular dimension may differ radically.
At one end of the continuum is a set of narrowly defined acts unequivocally judged to be rape? At the opposite end are acts judged not to be rape. It is difficult to reach consensus between the two extremes regarding parameters describing rape. For some, passive acquiescence to sex under all circumstances is rape; others may consider it wrong, but will disagree with the view that it is rape. Even less consensus exists in the literature regarding aggressive sexual acts by males against females and how such acts are interpreted.
Furthermore, studies suggest that there is little consensus regarding the kind and amount of information used to decide whether a rape occurred or how various subgroups in contemporary Western society arrive at definitions of rape. Some evidence suggests that women, whites, younger persons, more highly educated persons, and those with nontraditional sex roles define a wider range of sexual encounters as rape. More liberal attitudes toward feminism and sexuality also correlate with defining rape more broadly. However, other studies, particularly those conducted within attribution theory; do not replicate these general findings.Adolescent and college-age males and females differ in their exposure to violence in dating relationships.....
