Biological, Anthropological & Psychological Perspectives on Rape

According to websterdictionary.org, rape is defined as "forcing (someone) to have sex against their will." However, from the sociological point of view, it means something completely different. Throughout sociology, different thoughts on rape have been discovered based on three different perspectives: biological, anthropological, and psychological.

According to The Gendered Society by Michael Kimmel, from the biological perspective, rape is done because men are suppose to produce babies, and when they are unattractive, the only way they can reproduce is through raping a woman. Sex is also referred to as "sex by other means for reproductively unsuccessful men". (Kimmel 30) However this theory is suggestively wrong, considering many women who are rapes are either too young or too old to even bear children. Another huge problem with this theory is that man rapists kill their victims after raping them, thus preventing any potential off spring from living.

The biological theory that men rape because they are too unattractive to reproduce on their own, is somewhat peculiar, since rapes happen to everyone, not just woman who can bear children. In fact, not all rape victims are even women; some are men raping men, or women raping men. Obviously, these groups of people can no physically reproduce through sexual intercourse, so clearly this perspective is proven wrong because of many reasons. According to the biological perspective, rape is considered "natural". It may be "natural", but all that tells us about rape is that it exists in nature, that doesn't necessarily mean it moral, just that it happens. (Kimmel 31)

The biological perspective also takes another interesting outlook on rape. Since women are biologically equip to have children, it would be in their best interest to "seduce" as many men as possible, so they can have as many offspring's as possible. Women's evolutionary "strategy" is to be promiscuous. (Kimmel 31) Considering this theory suggests that all women want is for men to get them pregnant and stay with them to protect them, biologists can use the argument that rape isn't actually rape, it is the men giving the women what they want.; what they are biologically meant to do.

Considering all this, it can be concluded that biologists consider rape and sex the same thing. They consider rape to be a way for a man who cannot bear children any other way, to be able to reproduce. However, anthropological scientist will also argue this theory. Anthropological perspective, says that rape varies from one culture to another, and that the status of women has a lot to do with whether or not they are in a rape-free society or a rape-prone society. According to some anthropologist, in societies where women are respected, there are fewer rapes, and in societies where women are not, there are more rapes.

Anthologists believe that rape is not about sex, it is about gender. "It is a way in which gendered inequality produces gender difference." (Kimmel 69) In cultures that degrade and devalue women, is where rape takes place. Rape, according to the anthropological perspective is not just a way for the "loser" guys to reproduce, it is an act that men who feel women are inferior to them, feel they are entitled to do.

Rape is unfortunately, used in this manner in a lot of different ways. Mass rapes are also used as warfare tactics. It is used to completely humiliate and belittle the women, but also to show the men that they have been conquered. (Kimmel 68) Rapes take place every day, especially in other countries that are unrecognized and even unpunished .These instances just prove the amount of power that men have over women, and how in some societies women are placed so far below men in the hierarchy scale.

The psychologists see rape a different way: they feel