Rape

8 Pages 2038 Words

en, thinking back on their sexual experiences, will respond affirmatively when asked the question “Have you ever had sex with a man when you didn’t want to, because he used physical force against you?” but at the same time offer a firm “no” when asked “Have you ever been raped?” (Bender 10-11). The term “date rape” was first used in a September 1982 article in Ms. Magazine. In the past, legislation and community opinion were incredibly different than they are today. In the past, most laws defined rape as unwanted vaginal intercourse committed by a man. Yet the laws in recent years, has changed the definition to be a more broad range to include oral and anal sex, and include non-gender specific words.
The primary adaptations responsible for the occurrence of rape were the mechanisms involved in the human male’s greater visual sexual arousal, reduced ability to abstain from sexual activity, and greater willingness to engage in inhospitable sex, and less discriminating criteria for sexual partners. (Thornhill 62) One piece of evidence that supports this is that the vast majority of rape victims are of a fertile age. Using this theory, one must conclude that a male would only rape if the benefits (producing an offspring) outweighed the costs (risk of being caught and punished). Many researchers believe that men have a psychological mechanism to evaluate the vulnerability of women. This device would help a man decide when, where, and how to rape without suffering consequences. For example, a man with no inte...