Examples of Different Types of Rape

From The Rape Victim: Clinical & Community Intervention

Koss & Harvey, 1991

Stranger Rape

Rose, age 25, was accosted at knife point in a shopping mall parking lot and forced by a stranger into his car. He drove her to a rural area, raped her, stabbed her five times, set the car on fire, and left her. Although severely injured, she survived.

Acquaintance Rape

Susan, age 23, went to the door of her house to find a man she recognized from one of her college classes. She opened the door to let him in the house, whereupon he threw her on the sofa and raped her.

Date Rape

Diana, age 50, was vacationing in the Caribbean. She spent some of her time learning sailing and walking along the beach with a fellow guest. At a hotel dance, she danced with this man, and he asked her to walk outside. Once on the beach, this 6'4" man asked to have sex and forced her to cooperate by holding her down. Diana was too afraid to resist.

Multiple Rape

Ann, age 21, was at a friend's home with a group of her peers. There were three men, one other woman, and herself present. When the other woman left, the three men raped her.

Marital Rape

A woman recently had gynecological surgery. Two days after she came home from the hospital, her husband forced her to have sexual intercourse. This caused her to hemorrhage; she was re-hospitalized.

Seduction vs. Rape

One of the key questions in the issue of date rape is the difference between seduction and rape: the man feels he has merely seduced a woman, convinced her; the woman feels that she has been raped, coerced. A useful distinction to keep in mind is that seduction involves no force, implied or otherwise. Seduction occurs when a woman is cajoled into agreeing to have sex; the word is "agreeing." Acquaintance rape often occurs when seduction fails and the man goes ahead and has sex with the woman anyway, despite any protest and without her agreement.