Marital Rape Divorce Statistics

27 Dec Marital Rape Divorce Statistics

Although most people are aware that rape is far too common, most don’t realize that rape sometimes occurs in a marriage. Sadly, marital rape does happen. It isn’t easy for victims of rape to come forward, and married rape victims face even more challenges. For this reason, society does not hear much about marital rape. But the statistics speak for themselves. Find out some shocking marital rape divorce statistics.

Marital Rape

Any time that one person forces another to have sex, a crime occurs. That crime is known as rape. Whether the person is a stranger, a friend, or a husband, the act of forcing someone to have sex is illegal. When the two individuals are married, the act is known as marital rape.

In the US, spousal rape was not illegal until 1993. Prior to that year, people didn’t talk much about the issue. If a woman’s husband raped her, she stayed quiet about it. After all, coming forward would not result in criminal charges. Silence seemed like the best option.

But things changed in 1993. With marital rape illegal in all 50 states, 1993 marked a new time in history. Women no longer had to keep their treatment a secret. Some women came forward about their rape cases.

Getting Justice

Sadly, making spousal rape illegal did not mean justice. Getting a judge to hear a spousal rape case was and is still difficult. Often, these cases get thrown out. Lawyers can’t do anything to help you if a judge refuses to listen. There’s still something about marital rape that the US court system refuses to acknowledge. It remains a closeted issue.

Just consider the lack of statistics on the issue. Despite its prevalence, spousal rape was the topic of only two surveys. If you want information on things like marital rape divorce, you don’t have many resources. No one put in the time to research the issue. Likewise, finding people to speak up about their experiences is difficult. With no legal support system, it’s not hard to see why many women remain silent. There is little justice for the victims.

How Common is it?

Out of a random sample of married San Franciso women, 8% of them experienced marital rape. For such a small sample, that is a high percentage. In Boston, the results were similar. About 10% of married women in Boston experienced marital rape. For something that no one discusses, marital rape seems quite common.

When rape occurs, there is usually a husband, partner, or boyfriend to blame. In 30% of adult rape cases, the offender was in a romantic relationship with the victim. Sexual assault cases have similar statistics. In adult female sexual assaults, the attacker was a husband or lover 28% of the time.

When women seek counseling for a relationship, they sometimes come forward about marital rape. Up to 30% of the women seeking relationship maintenance report a forced sexual assault in their relationship. Although they don’t legally report it, they tell their counselor about it.

Spousal Rape and Divorce

You might think that a majority of women who experience spousal rape get a divorce. However, the marital rape divorce statistics are lower than you might think. There are a few reasons for this.

Some women choose to live with their husbands after the attack. For many women, it is an issue of religion. Women who come from a religious background sometimes fear that getting a divorce would make them a sinner. Instead of taking legal action against their husband, they would rather keep the incident a secret. They would rather risk experiencing another rape then have their community look at them shamefully.

For other women, the issue is the belief that marital rape is normal. Young women don’t always realize that marital rape is not acceptable. Similarly, women from other countries don’t always know that spousal rape is not legal. They think that forced sex is a part of marriage. Because of this, they don’t think to report the incident.

Marital Rape Divorce Statistics

You might be wondering how many women actually get a divorce after experiencing marital rape. However, there are no clear marital rape divorce statistics. This is because women don’t always speak up about the rape. In many cases, the women get a divorce without explaining that rape is the reason. They fear that coming forward will not affect their divorce case. Or, they fear that they will face humiliation in the courtroom.

Another reason for the lack of marital rape divorce statistics is the fact that many women who experience spousal rape don’t divorce. For whatever reason, they choose to stay in their marriage. Unfortunately, this usually means that their husbands rape them again. About 69% of women who experience spousal rape experience it at least twice. If it happens once, then it is likely to occur again.

The only way to stop marital rape is to speak up about it. You should file charges and talk to a lawyer about getting a divorce. Your actions can encourage others to do the same.