
Rape in marriage is a global problem affecting millions of women -- it is still legal in many countries and was only criminalized in all U.S. states in 1993. In much of the world, marital rape is too often understood as an oxymoron due to the fact that the ideology of permanent consent underlies the legal and cultural definitions of sex in marriage. From Vietnam to Guatemala to South Africa and beyond, this volume examines how cultural, legal, public health, and human rights policies and practices impact intimate partner violence. While legal and cultural conceptions of marital rape vary widely -- from criminal assault to wifely duty -- this volume offers evidence from different societies that forced sex undermines the physical and psychological well-being of the women who experience it, regardless of their cultural context.Globally, the nature of marriage is changing and so are notions of individual choice, love, intimacy, and rigid gender roles. Marital Rape documents wide ranging and fluid understandings of sex, consent, and rape in marriage; such an array of perspectives demands an international and interdisciplinary approach to the study of sex and gender-based violence. This text brings together an international group of scholars from the fields of anthropology, sociology, criminology, law, public health, and human rights; their work points to the importance of understanding the lived experience of sexual violence for the design of effective and culturally sensitive public policy and practice.
This volume investigates the global prevalence, legal status, and socio-cultural implications of marital rape as a form of intimate partner violence. Edited by Kersti Yllö and M. Gabriela Torres, the text compiles research from an international cohort of scholars across anthropology, sociology, and law. The authors argue that the ideology of permanent consent within marriage frequently obscures the reality of sexual violence, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach to inform public policy and human rights advocacy.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts identify this volume as a significant interdisciplinary resource for understanding the complexities of sexual violence within the context of marriage. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the breadth of the global perspectives presented by the contributing scholars.
Page Count:
264
Publication Date:
2016-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190238380
ISBN-13:
9780190238384
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