Unacknowledged rape

Unacknowledged rape is defined as a sexual experience that meets the legal requirements of rape, but is not labeled as rape by the victim. Instead, the victim may label the experience as "bad sex", a "miscommunication", or a regrettable "hook up." This response is more frequently recognized amongst victims of acquaintance rape or date rape.

The definition of rape has varied across time and cultures, often representing the social undercurrents of society. As women gained equal rights and the separation of church and state increased, what constituted rape slowly changed.

Under the patriarchal doctrine of Coverture, women were "legally considered the chattel of her husband, his possession." Relegating women to the position of object or property was ingrained in most cultures. During Colonial times, sexual activity was still regulated by the church. As a result, rape was considered a crime against the man who "owned" the victimized female, as opposed to the female herself. Up until the 20th Century, women were viewed as morally impure if they had any non-marital sex, whether consensual or not. Due to this egregious dehumanization, the female victim was viewed as defective or sullied afterwards and not fit for marriage.

The 1970s brought about the Women's Liberation movement, characterized by female bodily autonomy, reproductive rights, and sexual expression. A strong belief in feminism defined the movement. Due to this, the conceptualization of rape changed. Feminist writers suggested that rape was simply a tool used by men to keep control over women. They argued that rape did not just occur by strangers, but also involved acquaintances, partners, friends, and potentially even family members. They also began to challenge the notion that rape was solely the fault of the victim. Despite this social evolution, many victims exhibited internalized self-blame due to the historically narrow understanding of rape and failed to acknowledge their experience as an assault.

It has been found that the majority of unacknowledged rape victims are college aged females. Additionally, of rape victims in this population at least 1/4 are unacknowledged victims. Some studies report that, out of all individuals who meet the requirements for rape, nearly 60% are unacknowledged victims. The percentage of individuals who are unacknowledged rape victims increases exponentially when several factors are considered: If the victim knows her assailant (i.e. date/acquaintance rape) she is less likely to acknowledge herself as a rape victim. She is also less likely if the incident occurred while she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If the incident involved oral sex or non-penetrative sex, the individual is less likely to acknowledge themselves as a rape victim.

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