Socially Conditioned Roles

From the moment children are born they are encouraged to act in certain ways according to their sex. The young girl is encouraged to play with dolls to prepare her for her future role as wife and mother, while the young boy is encouraged to play aggressive, physically exertive games. This conditioning also applies to and affects adult men.

This same conditioning is carried on throughout the girl's life, continually encouraged to look pretty, and to act inferior. Society expects men to be dominant and powerful, to be superior in strength and intellect. They are to be seen as protectors and are forced to continue this role as a proof that they are 'real' men.

The act of rape therefore is the extension of the playing of these roles. Rape is a power relationship between men and women, and the myth that it is uncontrollable lust which produces rape cannot be accepted.

The obvious evidence of rape as an act of power by men over women is in the case of war. Rape is part of the prize of the victorious army as it marches through a country, destroying villages etc. To add to the humiliation of losing the battle, is the humiliation of having one's property, women, defiled by the conquerors.

Unfortunately, rape has not only been carried out by soldiers on the winning side. Soldiers who had experienced defeat and humiliation used rape as a means by which they could take out their frustrations.

The idea that men in war situations who had no contact with women for long periods of time and so had to resort to rape to fulfil their sexual needs cannot be seen as feasible in light of the situation that existed in the Vietnamese War. With the invasion of American soldiers came the steady increase in prostitution. The use of women's bodies on the base camps, was seen as a 'way to' keep the boys happy'. However the introduction of institutionised prostitution didn't decrease the number of rapes. Rape was still seen as an inevitable part of war. The actual number of rapes that occurred has been impossible to assess. Most rapes weren't reported as many victims were unable to speak English, had little or no recourse to the law, and were considered an enemy.