Free Inquiry in Creative Sodofogy Volume 26 No. I, Moy 1998 Poge 99 EXAMINING COURTSHIP, DATING, AND FORCED SEXUAL INTERCOURSE: A PRELIMINARY MODEL Ida M. Johnson and Robert T. Sigler, University of Alabama ABSTRACT A survey research projectfocusing on violence in intimate relationships, perceptions toward courtship and dating, and perceptions of sexual intercourse found that some women tend to choose to label incidents offorced sexual intercourse inwhichthey have been victims as non-rape. These findings are explored and atentative model to explain this phenomenon is advanced. INTRODUCTION the development of a relatively permanent re­ Forced sexual intercourse has been con­ lationship (Udry, Bauman, Whyte 1990). The sistently defined as a social problem overtime. lines between recreational dating and court­ Historically, only forced sexual intercourse ship dating have always been blurred. directed toward an unwilling victim by a rela­ tive stranger was defined as rape and sUbject HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON to control by the justice system. Societal ac­ COURTSHIP AND DATING ceptance, or at least lack of regard, for other It is difficult to examine historical per­ forms offorced sexual intercourse has changed spectives in courtship and dating without rec­ dramatically during the latter decades of this ognizing that the definitions of appropriate century. The definition ofunacceptable sexual behavior, particularly individual freedom, have behavior has been expanded to include types changed over the years.. While men tradition­ offorced sexual intercourse which, in the past, ally have had the freedom to pursue their rec­ were held to be of no interest to the justice reational interests away from the protection of system. Sexual assault, the emerging con­ the family, women have been restricted to the cept, is broad, has been accepted widely, and family home or to carefully chaperoned social specifies degree of offensiveness. There is events. It was not until the industrial revolution some recognition that offensive sexual behav­ that women began to work outside ofthe home iorand forced sexual intercourse can be placed and not until the 1900s that women began to on a continuum based on degree of unac­ associate freely in mixed-sex, unchaperoned ceptability of the offensive behavior. The re­ groups for recreation. search reported here suggests that the con­ After 1920, the automobile, close dancing, tinuum is broaderthan generally accepted and and moving pictures began to dominate the may include offensive sexual behaviors which youth culture. Social control of dating and are tolerated by the victims. That is, some courtship, which had been family supervised offensive sexual behavioroccurs inthe context and most rigorous in 1900, was replaced by a of courtship and dating and is accepted to less rigorous system of social control main­ some degree by the victims. A preliminary set tained by the youth culture itself. Dating and of propositions that can be used to frame con­ petting became ritualized. This ritualization tinuing research in this area has been devel­ served to protect young women by providing oped. limits, but it entailed a greater degree ofrisk by Courtship as a set of activities in which promoting participation in sexually stimulating couples engage as they seek suitable life behavior (Rothman 1984). mates has taken many forms but has been The movie theater and the automobile pro­ pervasive through time and present in most moted petting. The movie theater provided societies. Dating, a set of activities in which darkness, some degree of privacy,and some coupies engage for recreation, emerged dur­ degree of safety while the automobile offered ing the late 1800s and initially evolved from complete privacy and less safety. Petting be­ courtship rituals. As freedom for women ex­ came relatively common behavior and char­ panded in the 1900s, dating came to be re­ acteristicofdating couples (Angell 1928; Dell, garded as a social actiVity. In dating, the Burfeind 1930). While petting was popular to emphasis on finding a mate decreased and the the point that petting parties became common, emphasis on recreation increased. Today, sexual intercourse was not (Fass 1977). This recreational dating is an activity in its own attitude began to decline and by the end ofthe right, but dating still can lead to courtship or to 1930's, while virginity at marriage was still 100 Volume 26 No. I, Moy 1998 Free Inquiry in Creative Soaofogy desired, pre-marital sexual intercourse was the lack of specificity of definitions ofrape and tolerated for those women who were discrete date rape, changes in orientation toward forced and restrictive/selective in their choice of part­ sexual intercourse between intimates, and ners. Virginity as a trait for marriage was modi­ self-definition of sexual assault by victims. fied to Include virginity at the time of engage­ Much of the impetus toward change in crimin­ ment, a recurrence of standards observed at alization of rape is attributed to the women's times in the 1700s and 1800s. While dating movement and other special interest groups. and petting were relatively unrestricted, the Beginning in the early 1970's, the National link between sex and love remained secure. Organization of Women (NOW) and women The rules imposed by the young on them­ identified with the feminist movement began selves linked sexual intercourse to true love producing forums, writing articles, developing (Rothman 1984). rape education and resource programs, and Petting waned in the late thirties, however, promoting law suits. By the late 1970s, public it remained a popular activity through the awareness of rape issues had increased and forties and fifties. Petting parties disappeared, people were beginning to accept rape as a but petting moved to beaches, parks, and serious problem (Bourque 1989; Rose 1977). porches and dating as a recreational activity As a result of changing public attitudes, statu­ reached full stature. High school students, tory changes that redefined rape and sexual both men and women, were expected to "play assault were enacted in many states thus the field" before settling down to a monoga­ creating different degrees of rape (Parrot, mous relationship and marriage. Recreational Bechhofer 1991). At the same time, pressure dating led to going steady or pinning, which led was brought to bear on iaw enforcement and to engagement and marriage, with the degree the courts to change the manner in which ofcommitment increasing as the couple moved charges of sexual assault were processed. through the various stages. Two competing Prior to this period, charges of sexual assault principles appeared to have been at work: 1) involving adults who knew each other were everything is all right if you are in love and 2) discouraged at each point in the process. women must be seen as respectable, partiCU­ Convictions were seldom sought and were larly to men who are potential marriage part­ rarely sustained at trial (Estrich 1987). Re­ ners. Going steady or pinning permitted the forms in the law coupled with changes in reconciliation of these two conflicting prin­ procedures and the development of new victim ciples (Johnson 1959). During the sixties and support programs redirected the orientation of seventies, the restrictions on premarital sexual the justice system in the iate 1970s and early intercourse became more liberal, and the num­ 1980s (LaFree 1989). ber of men and women reporting pre-marital While violence among dating couples has sexual intercourse increased (Morris 1975; been studied for some time (Kanin 1957), the Reiss 1966; Udry et al 1990). These stand­ term date rape did not emerge until the early ards, attributions of responsibility, and behav­ 1980s. Date rape has been defined as a forced iors continue to influence relationships be­ sexual intercourse that occurs either on a date tween men and women even though women's or between individuals who are acquainted or rights and privileges have continued to pro­ romantically involved (Jenkins, Dambrot 1987). gress in other dimensions of social interaction Poppen and Segal (1988) conducted a (Rothman 1984). survey of 77 male college students and 100 female college students in which the subjects PREVALENCE OF COURTSHIP were asked to indicate whether they had ever VIOLENCE used physical or verbal coercive strategies to At the same time that attitudes toward sex initiate sexual behavior with a partner, or had in intimate non-marital relationships was ever engaged in sexual behavior in response changing, attitudes toward the use of force in to a partner's coercive initiatives. The results intimate relationships also was changing. As indicated that men are more likely than women these changes emerged, definitions and jus­ to initiate coerced sexual behavior, and "mas­ tice system orientation toward behaviors la­ culine" persons use coercive strategies more beled as rape and sexual assault changed. than other sex role orientation types. Shotland Measuring the incidence of forced sexual and Goodstein (1992) found that prior sexual intercourse in intimate contexts is difficult for interaction increased the expectation for future several reasons, most of which are related to sexual compliance. Forced sexual intercourse Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology Volume 26 No. I, May 1998 Page /0/ was less likely to be labeled as rape if sexual Limited attention has been directed toward access had been granted frequently in the the development of theoretical models to ad­ past. dress this phenomena. Most studies with a Studies have indicated that the majority of theoretical base attempt to identify factors rapes occur between acquaintances (Koss, which make types of assault or adjustment Dinero, Seibel, Cox 1988; Rabkin 1979; Russell more or less likely to occur. One recent effort 1984). Kanin's (1967) study of male under­ (Shotland 1992) develops a basic typology of graduates indicated that 26 percent of the date rape. Five different types ofdate rape are subjects reported having been sexually ag­ characterized, based on time, courtship vio­ gressive on a date in a way that led to the lence, and degree of development of a rela­ woman's fighting, crying, or screaming.