NCJ Number
216676
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2006 Pages: 515-522
Date Published
September 2006
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined the reasons given by women and men in explaining why women willingly agree to have sexual intercourse when they would honestly prefer not to have it at that time.
Abstract
Of the options given in the questionnaire for why women consent to unwanted sexual intercourse, more men (36.6 percent) and more women (40.7 percent) selected the option "wanted to make date/friend happy." Of the men, 18.1 percent selected the option, "wanted to keep as a boyfriend;" 10.1 percent of the women selected this option. The option, "There wasn't a good reason not to," was selected by 15.2 percent of the men and 15.7 percent of the women. "Things got out of control" was the option selected by 10.5 percent of the men and 16.4 percent of the women. The aforementioned options were categorized as "gender specific." Four other options were categorized as "male manipulation." The most significant finding regarding this category of options was that 17.4 percent of the men selected "had shown her a good time." These men believed that women consented to unwanted sexual intercourse as a way of thanking the man for showing her a good time on the date. Only 8.1 percent of women selected this option, however. Relatively small percentages of men and women selected other options in the "male manipulation" category. Also, relatively small percentages of both men and women selected one of the two options in the third category, "self-concept." These options were, "She thought something wrong with her" and "Didn't want to be labeled frigid." Both men and women reported forced sexual intercourse at about 1.26 percent of total instances of sexual intercourse. Of the 668 college students returning the questionnaire, 51 percent were male, 14 percent African-American, 78 percent White, and 6 percent "other." 2 tables, 3 figures, and 25 references