The notion of rape culture was developed by second-wave feminists, primarily in the United States, beginning in the 1970s. It is associated with rape fantasy and rape pornography. Entire societies have been alleged to be rape cultures. It has been used to describe and explain behavior within social groups, including prison rape and in conflict areas where war rape is used as psychological warfare. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-shaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by sexual violence, or some combination of these. Rape culture is a setting, studied by several sociological theories, in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality.
Rape rates (police reported) per 100,000 population, 2010–2012 Rape
