Lesson Eight: Gender, Crime, and Deviance

Rape and Battering Cultural Myths: Sadly, there are certain popular myths surrounding rape, such as the victim "asking for it" by the way they were dressed, speaking, and/or acting around the time of the rape. One common myth surrounding battery is that the victim "deserves it" for angering/upsetting their spouse/partner. In reality, rape is the fault of the rapist for proceeding with sexual acts despite a lack of agreement from the victim, and battery if the fault of the assailant for taking out anger on another living being instead of a healthier, more socially acceptable way.

Social Patterns of Rape and Batter: A young woman conceals her breasts in an attempt to lower her risk of being assaulted and/or raped. Woman of different ages, social class, and race and ethnicity have different likelihoods of experiencing intimate-partner violence. Young women, poor women, and African-American and Native-American women are the most likely to experience rape or batter. These individuals are also the least likely to report said crimes.

Victim-Offender Relationship: Women are taught to be cautious around unknown men and to trust and be comfortable around those they know—friends, family members, and acquaintances. However, strangers only commit 27% of women's victimization versus non-strangers committing 70%. This means women are much more likely to suffer violence at the hands of intimates than with strangers.

Gender and Crime: Men are more likely than women to commit most crimes, especially violent crimes such as rape, assault, armed robbery, and murder. Men are also more likely to be the victims of violent crimes, excluding rape which is generally experienced more by women.

Men and Violence: In our society's version of masculinity, men are expected to directly confront violence and fight off aggressors. However, attempting to fight an aggressor when you do not have proper training is a terrible idea. The situation could escalate and end much worse for the victim, especially when the aggressor might have a conciled weapon. The proper action is to do as the aggressor says and report it to the police once you are safe. Therefore, men are torn between proving their masculinity and ensuring their own safety and survival.