Symbolic Interactionist Perspective On Rape

One of the first steps to solving a social problem, is trying to explain why the problem is occurring. Only then, may a solution prevail. If one looks at the idea of rape from a Symbolic Interactionalist perspective, we can trace it back to the longstanding idea and norm that women are often seen as “property” of the man who they are with. For example, when women take the last name of their husband when married, which is still often done in modern society, it is almost as if she is losing her own identity and taking on his. When we label women as this, as property or just extensions of men, we can understand why some men don’t see rape with in a relationship as wrong, as how can it be wrong to take advantage of something that is rightfully
If we examine rape from the conflict perspective, which claims there are groups competing for power in society, it is obvious that some of these acts can be contributed to the idea that men want to maintain their status over women. Similar to the ideas previously presented, some of the earliest research studies on what inclines men to commit rape, found that male aggression and male dominance and power over women were huge contributing factors (Locke and Mahalik 2005). As Locke and Mahalik explain, “Thus, male sexual aggression can be conceptualized as a combination of sexually aggressive behaviors (e.g., harassment, rape) and the cultural beliefs that support such behaviors, including rape myths, such as rape results from uncontrollable male passions” (2005). They are saying that rape is normalized because it is just simply seen as males being passionate or dominant, as opposed to the horrible act that it actually is. We constantly get the idea from media and society around us that males are supposed to be in control, dominant, and never let their masculinity waver. Our society labels men as violent and aggressive, whether they want to be or not. Just like being a woman makes you naturally maternal and empathetic in the eyes of society, being a male automatically makes you masculine. If you look at the majority of action films today, for example, they feature men who are blowing people up with guns, burning down cities, and saving helpless women without even batting an eye. Our culture constantly portrays the idea that men must always be tough, which leaves men with an unrealistic and unattainable idea of masculinity, and feeling frustrated when they cannot achieve it. In the documentary Tough Guise, which explores male hyper masculinity, a handful of young men are asked what they believe it means to be a “real man.” Some of the words the men