RAPE AND THE SOCIAL
CONTROL OF WOMEN
Paradigms and the Study of sexual
Assault
Rape as Sexual Release
Sexual Outlet
Sexual Deviance
Sexual Enticement
Rape as
Power and Control
There are a variety of Feminist
Theories
Liberal Feminist
Radical Feminist
Marxist (Socialist Feminist)
Anarchist Feminist
Basic Focus
Liberal Feminism
 Reformism
Radical Feminism
 Patriarchy
Marxist Feminism
 Capitalism
Anarchist Feminism
 Domination
Radical Feminism
Rape is seen as the Outcome of
Historical Social Traditions
Males Dominate all important
Activities
Economic and Political Vs. Family &
Care Taking (Public vs. Private)
Women as Property
 Women are Both Portrayed and Treated as
subservient therefore are degraded
 Women tend to be treated, viewed as
property and playthings
 Ones worth and value is diminished
 Thus you may be treated in many ways
 Because you are less than human
 Rape is an outcome of social inequality
between the sexes
Fear of Rape
A feed back process reinforces the
inequality - intimidation(Sexual
Harassment), Fear of Rape (Gordon &
Riger) Etc.
This restricts behavior even more
Impacts lifestyles; limits job choices,
effects promotions and advancements,
etc.
Impact of Rape
 According to Radical Feminism the current
movement towards equality, may affect
rape in two divergent ways
1) May frustrate males leading to more rape
or processing problems
2) May create less rape as subordinate/super-ordinate relations change
What Needs to be Done?
Feminism suggests two major ways to approach
rape:
1) Need to increase arrests and enforce
harsher punishments (think predator laws)
2) Others say that even though we should
treat the crime more seriously it won’t
eliminate rape; instead we need to
equalize socio-economic relations and
power relations
Rape is Power
• Sexual gratification is no motive for
rape, rather, rape is to establish and
or maintain dominance, control over
women by men
(Think post-civil war and the control of
African-Americans.)
Marxist Criminology
Conflict Theory
Assumptions:
Law is tool for maintaining power of
dominate group - capitalist; feminist
substitute men as the dominate group;
blacks substitute whites;(similar
assumptions of Marxist theory)
Relationships are governed by social
rules
Marriage and family relations have
traditionally been linked to property
relations and law
“…the concept of property implies a set
of socially granted rights about access
to and disposition of the goods in
questions.”
Property relations are protected by the
state; if anything happens to property
the state protects the owner
Women as Property
Humans are often seen as property:
Slaves; Children, owned by father; in
marriage man and woman become one,
which one?
Law has be created to protect sexual
property,(the exclusive rights over
sexual behavior)
In patriarchal society like ours,
husbands have rights over wives,
fathers have rights over daughters until
marriage where another man takes
over
Rape laws have changed; protection of
owner has been written out, mostly;
but application may not
It appears that application may support
traditional gender roles
The Power/Control
Paradigm
Early Contributors
 Susan Griffin, Rape: The All-American
Crime. Ramparts (Vol. 10/Sept.) 1971;
 Janice Reynolds, Rape as Social
Control. Catalyst (No.8/Winter) 1974;
 Susan Brownmiller, Against Our Will:
Men, Women and Rape. 1975 (1993)’;
 Carol Smart and Barry Smart, Women,
Sexuality and Social Control. 1978
Susan Brownmiller
Against our will: Men, Women and Rape.
Ground breaking
Opened up the study of rape to new and
insightful analysis
 Primarily a poltical statement. Broad
sweeping statements about the nature of
rape and power
 Provided intellectual fodder for thirty years.
The amount of research and the nature of
research regarding sexual assault owes a
great deal to her early thoughts.
Major Themes
of Power/Control Paradigm
1)
2)
3)
4)
Rape is not about sex
Rape is about domination
Rape is social control
Rape is violence directed at all
women
5) Rape is and act of terrorism
perpetrated by men against women
Rape is Social Control
What does that really mean?
Control implies manipulation by some
over others
How does a woman come to know
where she is safe and where she is not?
How does a woman come to realize
that places and people are not
trustworthy? (Facebook or Myspace)
Patriarchy is continually reproduced,
not necessarily in vicious, conscious
overt attempts (although at times it
might be),
Subtle operations of day to day life.
Control also implies limited acceptance
by those controlled, or at least their
inability to mount successful
resistance. (Peglia)
Fear of Rape
Is a form of social control designed to
control all women
Reynolds,
“…Rape is a means of social control aimed
at constraining the behavior of women, a
way of keeping women in ‘their place’.”
Brownmiller,
“From prehistoric times to the present, I
believe, rape has played a critical
function. It is nothing more or less than a
conscious process of intimidation by which
all men keep all women in a state of
fear.” (radical functionalism?)
Rape is Terrorism
Susan Griffin,
“Rape is an act of aggression in which the victim is
denied her self-determination. It is an act of
violence which, if not actually followed by
beatings or murder, nevertheless always carries
with it the threat of death. And finally, rape is a
form of mass terrorism, for the victims of rape
are chosen indiscriminately, but the
propagandists for male supremacy broadcast that
it is women who cause rape be being unchaste or
in the wrong place at the wrong time -- in
essence, behaving as though they were free.”
The Appeal of the
Power/Control Model
Arguments opened our eyes to the anomalies
of the previous sex linked explanations of
rape
 How could rape be a sexual act if numbers of
men could not complete the sexual act or in
many cases could not obtain an erection?
 If rape is caused by sexual taunting or teasing,
how does the rape of very young children fit this
scenario?
 If rape is the result of limited sexual access how
does one explain the large number of rapes
committed by married men or men on ongoing
relationships?
Insights
Analysis of rape took on the emphasis of
control, domination, aggression, and power.
These characteristics were the foundation
for the analysis of most issues concerning
women or women’s role in society.
The power/control paradigm indeed sent the
Madonna - whore duality crashing. It was
obvious that the dualistic thinking so evident
in western thought was not an appropriate
model for understanding violence against
women.
How Can Rape be Stopped
Given This Paradigm of Thought?
The enemy of woman was/is man. All
men benefit from the domination and
control of all women.
If women were to gain their rightful
place in society, strength would have
to be garnished from within the spirit
of women themselves and from the
network or bond between all women.
Critique of White
Feminist theory of Rape
• Angela Davis, “Women, Race, & Class”
• Theory of rape was a white woman’s
theory, very good, but limited
• Queer Theory, same complaint
• Rape of women by women needs
better explanation
What next?
• Anomalies need to be as honestly
addressed as the anomalies of sex
based theories of rape.
• Rape by women, not suppose to be
that way!
• Multiple stigmas