Rape Is A Social Norm Essay

Everyone knows the word rape, and what it means. When they think of rape they picture a man that they fear most or what they imagine he would look like, forcing himself on the women; the women being helpless and hurt and struggling to get away. However, this is not always the case when it comes to sexual offenders. There are women out there who rape men, children, and other women. Unfortunately this has become a more common phenomenon than society would have you think. We do not hear about these cases however, as they are not in the social norm for us and therefore make us uncomfortable.
There are many different opinions that can be made about what a person may think is rape. The definition of rape differs from state to state, however the widely accepted definition of rape is sexual contact or penetration without consent, use of physical force, or if the victim is mental impaired to make the decision (Kanin). One of the most important aspects to understand about whether or not it was rape is the consent. Many people mistake body language and mixed signals as consent when it really was not. Silence is not consent, consent given under threats is not consent, and someone under the influence of alcohol or
They can be assaulted by both men and women. The rate of female sex offenders is much lower than the rate of male sex offenders. A lot of that has to do with the social norm in our society. When the social norm is broken or challenged people tend to feel uncomfortable with it and therefore avoid talking about it. Men who look weak are looked down upon in our society. In our society men have to be tough, masculine, unbreakable, and strong. For this reason, men who are victims of rape or sexual abuse do not come forward. They do not want to be looked as weak or unable to take care of themselves. They also do not think that anyone would believe them, that a woman was able to take advantage and hurt