Sex Under Pressure: Jerks, Boorish Behavior and Gender Hierarchy - Scott Anderson

In Sex Under Pressure: Jerks, Boorish Behavior and Gender Hierarchy, Scott A. Anderson focusses on the classification of rape, especially the importance of considering gender hierarchy as well as analyzing Sarah Conly’s recent essay titled Seduction, Rape and Coercion. In this post I will be focusing on one of Anderson’s main claims that gender roles and social hierarchy in terms of male supremacy and dominance – physically and character-trait wise – should be the main consideration in rape and nonconsensual sex or sexual assault.

            Thus, I agree with Anderson’s two accounts on gender and rape that “(1) gendered social institutions which add to the pressures against women, and (2) the greater likelihood that men, not women, will use violence if denied, and the lesser ability of women compared to men to resist such violence without harm.” (Anderson). In addition, I also agree with Anderson’s statement that “male seducers, unlike women, are able to draw upon advantages conferred by male dominances within a gender hierarchy.” One might object to this view by saying that although there is a gender hierarchical aspect of why rape is mostly committed by men towards women, giving in to rape, thus not resisting anymore due to domination should not truly be considered rape, rather sexual assault, because it is less broad and would avoid false accusations. Although this is true to some extent I do not believe it captures the entire picture, and the background of rape.

            I believe, this objection does not work, because the sole fact that male-dominance is very apparent in such circumstances it should truly be considered the basis of rape. It is in this gender hierarchy that allows men to exert force towards women and gives them the physical advantage to harass someone, or physically disable them to the point where they can no longer show resistance therefore giving into sex. Does this mean that all unconsensual sex involving a man against a woman should be considered rape? In essence, yes, because this in fact does support the case in terms of coercion too, in the sense that it is much more likely that a man so strongly coerced a woman as well as used force to the point where she had to submit – no longer showing any physical resistance to sex. Also, when considering Anderson’s point in terms of real-life statistics it is clear that rape is majorly men assaulting women, thus this stance makes sense as there is even tangible data serving as proof that men will and are much more capable of coercing women so much that they have no option but to submit thus as a consequence they are raped, because they are allowing someone to have sex with them even though they have shown resistance. The woman’s opinion, as a victim, has essentially been silenced due to male dominance and preexisting gender hierarchy which truly determines the outcome of such situations.