Marital Rape
Shayna Epps
February 22, 2010
Dr. Mitchell Mackinem
SENIOR RESEARCH
MARITAL RAPE
Introduction
The topic the researcher has chosen to perform research on is marital rape. The researchers question is “is the perception of marital rape different based on gender?” There are many notable cases and reports on this act, yet there seems to be an uncertainty about whether this should be considered rape or not. It is believed by sociologist that the physiological trauma that can be caused upon these women can not be anywhere near as devastating compared to a woman who has been raped by a stranger because the women violated by marital rape have already been sexually active with the violator. The researcher finds this perception to be mistaken because women who have been sullied by a stranger usually only have one encounter with that person, while marital rape usually occurs a numerous amount of times. The study will make more of an awareness of this crime, and hopefully spark an interest in the mind of others of this topic so they too will do research. The researcher imagines that females will be more sensitive towards this situation than males. Alternatively, with males she believes there is a thin line between what is considered rough sex and rape. Many men may have the mentality that a woman is to be submissive to her husband in any circumstance. It has been said that it is impossible for a woman to be raped by her husband because when you get married you are automatically signing over consent. Many women are ashamed or embarrassed to come forward and report such instances because they feel ashamed and that no one will believe them. A marriage license does not necessitate someone to submit to sexual contact on command. The independent variable is gender, because it stays the same. The dependent variable is the judgment of rape, because it varies from person to person.
Literature Review
In the late 1970s, female activist began efforts to change laws
February 22, 2010
Dr. Mitchell Mackinem
SENIOR RESEARCH
MARITAL RAPE
Introduction
The topic the researcher has chosen to perform research on is marital rape. The researchers question is “is the perception of marital rape different based on gender?” There are many notable cases and reports on this act, yet there seems to be an uncertainty about whether this should be considered rape or not. It is believed by sociologist that the physiological trauma that can be caused upon these women can not be anywhere near as devastating compared to a woman who has been raped by a stranger because the women violated by marital rape have already been sexually active with the violator. The researcher finds this perception to be mistaken because women who have been sullied by a stranger usually only have one encounter with that person, while marital rape usually occurs a numerous amount of times. The study will make more of an awareness of this crime, and hopefully spark an interest in the mind of others of this topic so they too will do research. The researcher imagines that females will be more sensitive towards this situation than males. Alternatively, with males she believes there is a thin line between what is considered rough sex and rape. Many men may have the mentality that a woman is to be submissive to her husband in any circumstance. It has been said that it is impossible for a woman to be raped by her husband because when you get married you are automatically signing over consent. Many women are ashamed or embarrassed to come forward and report such instances because they feel ashamed and that no one will believe them. A marriage license does not necessitate someone to submit to sexual contact on command. The independent variable is gender, because it stays the same. The dependent variable is the judgment of rape, because it varies from person to person.
Literature Review
In the late 1970s, female activist began efforts to change laws
Bibliography: Source/Published by: Department of Sociology, Wheaton College Norton, Massachusetts, 02766 Source/Published by HighBeam Research, Criminalizing marital rape: a comparison of judicial and legislative, Newspaper article from: Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY) May 23, 2007 Stable URL: www.accessmylibrary.com/.../criminalizing-marital-rape-comparison.html Source/Published by: Stanford Law Review, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Feb., 1996), pp. 677-709 : Stanford Law Review