Rights and responsibilities in sexual relationships

Rights and responsibilities in sexual relationships ( Life Orientation Grade 12 ): It is a fact that mutual respect for rights and responsibilities could sustain a positive relationship. Examples of rights and responsibilities in a sexual relationship are discussed.

Life Orientation Grade 12

What is rape?

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without that person’s consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.

Different kinds of rape:

• Gang rape: Where a person is raped by more than one person.
• Date rape: Rape by person you have a date with
• Statutory rape: When a person has, or tries to have unlawful sex with a person under the age of consent (16 years)
• Sex with a child under the age of 12 years: Sex with a child under the age of 12 years, whether or not the consent, is seen as rape.
• Acquaintance rape: Forced sex by someone the victim knows
• Sexual abuse: Refer to act of sexual assaults such as fondling, rape or sexual exploitation of minor by parents, caregiver or strangers.

Underage (16yrs and below) consentual sex?

When a person has or tries to have sex with a person under the age of 16 years with or without consent it is rape.

What are power relations?

• Power relations and examples
• Having power means having control over something or someone. In the relationship one person may have power over another.

What is the traditional gender power relation?

In most societies, men have more power than women.

The gender power roles are traditional in that they are followed by generation after generation.

Examples of power balance and power struggles between genders

Men have power for number of reasons, e.g.

• They are physically stronger than women
• They have different biological roles
• They have financial power if they earn all the money. Sexual harassment the main way in which abuse of power takes place in the workplace. In most cases men are abusing their power over women.