Rape is defined as a particular type of sexual assault that involves having sexual intercourse or some form of sexual penetration that is done against a person without his or her consent. In most cases, people use the term sexual assault to refer to rape. Rape can be carried out in different ways; the perpetrators might use physical force, might abuse their authority, might use coercion against their victims who are unwilling or unable to give the consent that is required to the victims. Even though people who are physically fit and able can fall victims of rape, people who are unconscious, those with intellectual disabilities or those who are incapacitated fall victims to rape more often ( Garcia-Moreno et al., 2015 ). Having sexual intercourse with those who are below the legal age of making consents is also considered as an act of rape. Gender classifies rape in most cases, both the rapist and the victim is classified according to the gender that he or she belongs to. According to statistics and research reports, females have been falling victims to rape, the definition of rape has since been broadened, and cases of women raping males have been reported too. Although the definition of rape is similar for both genders, female perpetrators are treated differently as compared to the male perpetrators once arrested. Women who rape have been characterized, and there are also different reasons as to why they commit the offense.
The research that has been conducted focusing on women who rape is relatively small. However, the researchers who have conducted the research have noted some characteristics exhibited by the women who abuse. One of the features is that the women had prior sexual victimization. According to studies focused on women who rape, it was found out that more than 75 percent of the women who were perpetrators of sexual violence had gone through sexual victimization ( Theidon, 2016 ). Another characteristic of women who rape is that the women have a psychiatric history. Some of the studies that have been conducted in the past focused their attention on the relationship between mental illness and the rape perpetration. The researchers found out that there was a high rate of relativity between those who were suffering from mental disorders committing the offense of sexual assault. According to the exploratory studies, the women who rape were found to be suffering from anxiety, depression, abuse of drugs, post-traumatic stress disorders and psychosis. These studies have not been comprehensive to determine the type of mental disorder that has a higher likelihood of making the women to commit the offense.
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Different reasons cause the women to commit sexual assault against men. Some of the reasons that lead to this type of sexual assault are said to be caused by the myths existing regarding the male members of the society. For instance, the women believe that men in the community are not vulnerable. The socialization of masculine gender in the society holds the thought that men cannot become victims of rape, especially the young male members of the community. Such stereotype provides that the men in the community, including young boys, should find ways of protecting themselves and reporting any assault against them is considered unmanly ( Rosin, 2014 ). This is not the case; some men are weaker and vulnerable, the female perpetrators can use any force either physical or psychological to assault them sexually. The double standards practiced in the society gives the men zero chances of fighting back. Because of this, the female perpetrators have reasons to commit the assault.
The female perpetrators in some cases feel that the men always want sex. The society has a wrong perception about the sexuality of the male and the female perpetrators seem to use the wrong impression. They do not feel like they are doing anything wrong as their victims also want the sex. In some cases, men are caused to have sex involuntarily; these means that they are put under some pressure to do the act. Such sexual assault happens if the person committing it has a higher authority or if she is older and dominant. Young men and young boys form a significant portion of victims under this type of sexual assault. The perpetrator's women who rape might also be motivated to commit the offense because they believe that the male members of the community are less traumatized and they recover quickly from any form of stress or emotional effect that might affect them ( Koss, 2018 ). The women who rape also believe that the men are less negatively affected by such an event. The women commit the offense because they know that it hard for the men to report their ordeal. Men also fear to report such happenings because it is more likely that the society will not believe their victimization and may end up stigmatizing them.
It should, however, be noted that the women who rape cause similar effects to their victims as the women who are raped. The men also go through the physical effects of rape just like the women who are raped; the men also go through the similar or even worse psychological results as compared to the women who have been abused. In some cases, the effects that are felt by men might be worse as compared to those that are felt by the women who have been raped. This is because of the views that the society as created concerning the men in the community.
References
Jewkes, R., Fulu, E., Roselli, T., & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2015). Prevalence of and factors associated with non-partner rape perpetration: findings from the UN Multi-country Cross-sectional Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific.
Koss, M. P. (2018). Hidden rape: Sexual aggression and victimization in a national sample of students in higher education. In Rape and society (pp. 35-49). Routledge.
Rosin, H. (2014). When men are raped. Slate. Web. Available Online: http://www. slate. com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/04/male_rape_in_america_a_n ew_study_reveals_that_men_are_sexually_assaulted. html .
Theidon, K. (2016). A GREATER MEASURE OF JUSTICE. Mapping Feminist Anthropology in the Twenty-First Century , 191.
