NCJ Number
145797
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1993) Pages: 29-40
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This literature review analyzes material related to marital rape and the law, when marital rape is likely to occur, the effects of marital rape, and societal views of the marital rape victim.
Abstract
Despite evidence of violence against wives, marital rape laws are not universal, and marital rape is a concept that has not received legislative recognition in some jurisdictions. Although definitions of marital rape vary from State to State, a common factor has been the mention of any type of sexual activity that is forced or coerced from a wife without her consent. Marital rape is most likely to occur in a marriage that is violent and is more prevalent in marriages characterized by other forms of violence. Marital rape also occurs more often among alcoholic husbands. Research that has investigated the effects of marital rape on the wife shows that the victim tends not to trust men, has an increased phobia of intimacy and sex, and a fear of being sexually assaulted again. Such women are also more likely to have low self-esteem and a poorer image of their bodies than women who were battered but not raped. A recent study by Sullivan and Mosher (1990) found that the general attitude toward victims of marital rape is that the victims are somewhat responsible for the incident. The author discusses the implications for the findings for measures that may reduce marital rape. 1 table and 65 references