Feminist Perspectives on Rape

Abstract

Document Type Encyclopedia Entry Publication Date Summer 2009 Publication Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Abstract Although the proper definition of rape is itself a matter of some dispute, rape is generally understood to involve sexual penetration of a person by force and/or without that person's consent. Rape is committed overwhelmingly by men and boys, usually against women and girls, and sometimes against other men and boys. (For the most part, this entry will assume male perpetrators and female victims.) Virtually all feminists agree that rape is a grave wrong, one too often ignored, mischaracterized, and legitimized. Feminists differ, however, about how the crime of rape is best understood, and about how rape should be combated both legally and socially. ISBN/ISSN 1095-5054 Document Version Published Version Comments This entry, downloaded from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on May  Download