The research analyzes the crime of rape in a theoretical context. While the concept of rape applies to men as victims as well as to women, the overwhelming proportion of rape victims are women. The use of the term ôrapeö in this research refers to crimes wherein the victim is a female.
Gender and unequal power are factors in the perpetration of rape against women regardless of the society in which the crime is perpetrated. The overwhelming majority of physical violence of all types involves aggressive behavior by men toward women. Less than 10 percent of partner violence in the home, as an example, involves women abusing men. Presumably, socialization plays a role in promoting the concept of unequal power over a submissive partner or dependence carried to the point of abuse. One reason sexual violence is taken for granted by many people is that such behavior is so prevalent. While official statistics reflect a high incidence of rape, these official statistics are thought to reflect only 10 percent of the actual number of rapes that occur in the United States, as an example.
Prior to the 1970s, the focus was on the danger of assault or rape by strangers or acquaintances. Violence in the family was thought to be infrequent and to result from psychopathology in the individuals involved rather than being viewed as a society-wide problem. Societal trends, however, have overcome this perception. Rape laws in the United States have been amended to protect victims of assault by marital partners. Nearly every state in the United States has established new legislation addressing violence between adult partners.
The focus of this research is on forcible rape, as opposed to statutory rape. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States defines forcible rape as the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. The act of rape has not, however, always been so defined. The rape of a woman did not ev...