In the case of “rape by fraud”, the bill, if passed, will become a law that will hold all individuals, male or female, accountable for lying to get sex in the eyes of the law. However, the New Jersey lawmaker, Troy Singleton, could be targeting men. In some of his interviews on why he proposed this bill, he was quoted using pronouns like “him” or “he” and never using “she” or “her” when he is discussing the perpetrators. I cannot say for sure if the lawmaker knows that he is coming off as sexist or not, but the way he is wording some of his statements are suggesting that the target population is men. When the topic of sexual assault and rape comes up, the stigma is usually that men are the perpetrators and the women cannot be the perpetrators. So, it is not surprising that in this unique rape bill that men are directly and indirectly targeted as the perpetrator and not necessarily the …show more content…
All men of all races, backgrounds, and social classes will be targeted by this law, if passed. Men will be the direct targets because of the stigmas around rape and sexual crimes, but women are not safe from this law either. This law will hold women accountable too because the terms “deception” and “fraud” are too vague for a sex crime and cannot be limited to words. The bill is based on how men and women are conditioned to approach relationships, but the problem is that there is a difference in how men and women are condition. Women do not have to necessarily approach a man to have a relationship because women are condition to believe that men are the ones that do the approaching. On the other hand, most men are condition to approach women to have a relationship and to be able to talk, use words, to convince or sell themselves to the women in hopes that she will take the bait. So, when considering that notion men are the primary targets of this
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Show MoreSociety’s role in criminalizing statutory rape cases play a big part on how people look at the different cases. In society everyone expects for a younger girl to be with an older guy, so people may not see a priority in statutory rape laws. “Considering that it is customary for women to date and marry slightly older men” (M.W., 1998). Since it is not abnormal for younger girls and older guys to be together most people do not see an age gap of about three years that big of a deal. But if these people do not report a case of statutory rape then they are technically endangering a minor. Males in society do not see male statutory rape victims as victims. These men look at it as a pat on the back to the young boys who were sexually active with adult women. The men also make comments saying that they wish they could have been in that position when they were young. Some people in today’s society do not understand the priority of really enforcing statutory rape cases unless there is a huge age difference or the victim was a young girl instead of a boy. The media has a big part in which cases will be recognized. The media tends to show female victims and adult male offenders more than they would male victims and adult female offenders. Female offenders should be broadcasted just as much as the men and should not get privileges just because they are women.
There are far more males serving for statutory rape within prisons than females. There are hardly any females reported being charged with statutory rape or being sued for the same crime. The law does state that males and females have the same punishment for statutory rape (Christopher, 2012). However, in many cases young boys do not report the crime because they look at it as an act of becoming a man to have sexual relations with not only young girls but older women as well. There are several cases in which young boys are charged with the crime of statutory rape even when all parties are involved and gave their consent. For example in one case, a fourteen year old boy was charged with statutory rape for being involved in sexual activities with three girls who were younger than the boy, two of th...
According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is defined as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in media and popular culture.” In American society, it is not hard to find examples of rape culture. In popular movies, music, and current events there is an undeniable notion of victim blaming, and sympathizing with male perpetrators. People have begun to use the term rape as a casual adjective. For example “I just raped him in that game,” could be used to describe two people playing a game and one winning easily against the other. American society uses pop culture and current events to promote and justify the prominent rape culture.
Before looking at the definitions of both situations, it’s important to note that the law applies to all genders, be it male/female, female/female, or male/male. Anyone can be a victim of sexual harassment no matter their sex. Statistics show that “16% of claims are filed by males.” (Ethics) The anxiety and frustration experienced by victims can impact their quality of life not to mention the quality of their work “The harasser can be the employee 's supervisor, manager, customer, coworker, supplier, peer, or vendor. Any individual, who is connected to the employee 's work environment, can be accused of sexual harassment.” (Heathfield) The victim in a sexual harassment situation isn’t always alone. Others who witness or overhear a conversation can also take
Women are also more likely to be victims of sexual assault and rape by male perpetrators, which are other more severe forms of sexual discrimination, and are more often performed by people the victims know, such as coworkers and supervisors, rather than strangers (Matlin, 2012, pg. 425). This phenomenon is referred to as “acquaintance rape” and often occurs, because as the differences in communication explains, men are more likely to perceive others as being seductive, which can also explain why they are more likely to invite sexual activity in the workplace, especially men who have negative ideas about women (Matlin, 2012, pg. 427). These men are also more likely to abuse their power on the job, and exploit the lesser power of the female employees.
Rape culture is an issue that has gained moment through the feminist movement within the last couple of decades. Rape itself has been around since the beginning of time and its definition has changed over the years. In the United States before 1993, a woman could not charge her husband for rape. The definition of rape varies by state and each state has it’s own set of rape laws. According to Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW), rape culture “is a term that was coined by feminists in the United States in the 1970’s. It was designed to show the ways in which society blamed victims of sexual assault and normalized male sexual violence.”1 Rape culture existed in the 1970’s and still exists today.
In the male typologies there are separate categories for child molesters and rapists, which is largely due to fact that they offend in very different ways. However, for the female typologies there is no such distinction, because all except one of the typologies have victims who are on average less than 15 years old (Vandiver & Kercher, 2004).The Aggressive Homosexual Offender is the only typology with an adult offender, however the victims are female (Vandiver & Kercher, 2004).The lack of a typology for female offenders with male adult victims could be due to certain factors playing a part in society. In particular, in today’s rape culture there is the belief that women cannot physically rape men. One reason why this belief is held is because society views women as physically weaker than men and are unable to overpower men. The male sex drive discourse also adds to this belief if men can never refuse sex than they essentially can never be raped. This belief has various problems for both men and women. The lack of a typology that includes adult male victims minimizes and ignores real men that were victimized by women. Not including men in the victim analysis sends the message that they are not ‘real’ victims. In contrast to that, since these victims are not seen as ‘real’ victims, the female offenders are not seen as ‘real’ offenders. By
The rape of Brandon seemed to be more about the two men having power over Brandon and finding out If Brandon was male or female. The two men could not stand, not knowing Brandon’s sex. Because of this they raped Brandon to find out the truth and elevate themselves. After the rape Lana convinced Brandon to go to the police and report it. When Brandon was reporting the rape, the police officer did not respect Brandon. The police officers' primary concern was of Brandon’s sex. “Victims of violence and abuse –whether they’re women or men- should be heard and respected. Their needs come first.” (Katz, p.343) this quote relates to the part in the clip where the police officer is not taking in consideration that Brandon has just been raped. The officer remains concerned about what Brandon did to be raped. The officer also seemed to be awfully concerned with Brandon’s sex and did not want to ask further questions about the rape until he found out if Brandon was male or female. To me this shows that rape is not just a male female issue. Rape is about the victim and their needs. I think that gender and rape can be incredibly confusing for law enforcement ““The rape” of Mr. Smith states”
This journal article explains how the factors of high ambivalent sexism and high gender-role traditionality play in the perpetration of rape. Those who score high on a scale of ambivalent sexism or more inclined to rape, and those who hold more traditional gender-roles are more inclined to trivialize rape, blame the victim, and excuse the perpetrator. This source was used to explain the societal factors behind rape, where ambivalent sexism and gender-role traditionality combine in a dynamic attitude derived from patriarchy. This article was helpful in addressing patriarchy as the structural force behind rape.
For many centuries the crime of sexual violence has been perceived as a gendered crime of power mostly victimizing women. The legal system, at least in theory, puts rape to be a punishable crime, nonetheless when rape cases are brought before the law they are hit with the allegation of the ‘rape myth’, the victim’s legitimacy is continuously questioned and the defense party is given the power to undermine the victim’s story. Not only the victims of such horrendous offences are stripped off their right to justice; they are revictimized and mistreated in the courtroom and society if they are not seen to fit the category of the ‘ideal victim’. The neglect of rape cases before the law has led victims of this offence to become unwilling to report the incident causing sexual assault to become the most underreported crime in our criminal justice system. This issue has therefore become one of the main focuses of the feminist theory, which attempts to understand the criminal justice system’s discrimination and misuse of power against women.
Schneider L, Mori L, Lambert P, Wong A. The Role of Gender and Ethnicity in Perceptions of Rape and Its Aftereffects. Sex Roles [serial on the Internet]. (2009, Mar), [cited March 16, 2014]; 60(5/6): 410-421. Available from: SocINDEX with Full Text.
Rape until 2012 was defined as “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” It was severely lacking was only updated by the Federal Bureau of Instigation in 2012. It left out an entire section of rape that can be committed which is man being the rape victim. This lead to misclassification of rape of males for years. So even the statistics used till 2014 were underwhelming and inaccurate when it was related to male rape or sexual assault. Rape in the United States is now defined by the Department of Justice as “Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” Male Rape or men being the sexual assault victims are rarely ever the subject of a dialogue when Sexual Assault is the topic being discussed because rape is generally seen as a heterosexual highly sexed male attack on vulnerable, attractively dressed female victim. Most rapists have alternative outlets for sexual gratification, many take little notice of their victim 's physical attributes, and some may experience sexual dysfunction during the assault.
As it is in the case of the majority of violent crimes, (Davies and Rogers, 2006) perpetrators of violent crimes, and especially sexual assault related crimes exert additional force by threatening the victim or their families. Male victims also must contend with an additional sense of shame and embarrassment in being identified with a crime that has been typically portrayed in the media as happening to women. This places men at a disadvantage in the reporting process, because their safety and the safety of others is compromised further if the crime is not reported. (Messerschmitt, 2009)
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
Rape is an issue that usually occurs to females and is more likely executed by males than females. Nonetheless, a female’s position in rape can and does go further than being the victim. Considering that women can be the perpetrator in this sexual assault, who are their victims? Rape can occur to anyone by anyone. In the same way a female can be a victim of rape, so can a male. According to RAINN, an anti-sexual assault organization, “About 3% of American men have experienced attempted or completed rape as of 1998, an estimated 4.5 million as of 2010” (Who Are the Victims?). However, men are not necessarily the victims of solely female-on-male rape. In fact, the majority of males who are raped are the victims of male-on-male rape and