Rape is generally seen today as a crime of violence and not a crime of sex, but having said that, there are a number of different views of the meaning of rape, its causes, and other issues of importance. Different theorists and analysts have offered their view of the meaning of this act, the reason why this type of violence seems necessary to some people, the effect of rape on the victim, and the view taken of these matters by society. Rape is a subject that can be approached from a number of disciplines--sociology, psychology, criminology, medicine, and the law, for instance. It is likely that the discipline itself determines the parameters of an investigation and that these different perspectives might throw light on different aspects of the problem. A consideration of several theorists will lead to an analysis of the issue from the perspective of someone who has to work with this problem every day, a nurse trained in handling rape victims and in protecting both the victim and any evidence that might help law enforcement capture the responsible individual.
Rape in Marriage was written in 1982 by Diana H. Russell. Russell has a doctorate in sociology and is an associate professor at Mills College in Oakland, California. She previously wrote the books The Politics of Rape and Crimes Against Women. She examines rape in marriage in its historical and social context in this book, and she takes a sociological approach. She interviewed one hundred victims of rape in marriage. These victims represent different races, ages, socioeconomic levels, ethnic groups; some have children, some do not; and some are employed outside the home, while others are strictly homemakers. Russell's purpose in writing this book is clear--she sees rape in marriage as an often unacknowledged problem and shows how society, while not necessarily condoning such violence, has often disavowed the idea of rape in marriage. "But if you can't rape your wife, w...