Women's Studies 2260 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Marital Rape, Sexual Assault, Heterosexuality
30 Jan 2020
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Gender categories exist solely to distribute power in certain ways, ways that generally benefit men over women. Gender exists as a category that enforces differences that create and preserve power for one group while depriving another group of access to that power. Power is often defined by sociologists as that ability of some actors to influence the behavior of others, whether through the use of persuasion, authority, or coercion. Coercive power is the ability to impose one"s will by force, threats, or deceit. Authority is power that comes from a position in an organization or institution that is widely regarded as legitimate. Authority is also sometimes called institutionalized power because it derives from the strength of an institution. Until 1976, rape laws included a marital exclusion because marriage gave husbands the right to have sex with their wives whenever they choose, regardless of their wives" consent.
