Sex

Why Rape Occurs

The informative site of the Rape Prevention Education Program at the University of California Police Department includes the history of rape and rape culture.

Nuggets on why instances of rape are so high in modern society include the historical perspective - throughout history women have been seen as chattel - baggage, and in certain cultures still are - and so they have less rights;

Women's status in society - the power imbalance between men and women is still strong - rape is the logical extension of the subordinate relationship between men and women...

Women are raised to be passive - men aggressive
Check out the RPEP set of 'rules' that many women are brought up to follow or that society expects women to comply with, which make women vulnerable to attack. It makes eye-opening reading. Among them the way females are brought up not to hurt people's feelings and to smile almost instinctively when spoken to; even the role that builders wolf whistling from building sites - and a woman's reaction to them - has to play in the treatment of women.