ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that where legal procedures were invoked to deal with cases of sexual violence, the operation of feminine stereotypes were all too often two-dimensional and so frequently served to victimize women. It focuses on a selection of reported cases of rape and indecent assault from The Times newspaper between 1850 and 1875. These usefully present not only an impression of the underlying influence of this 'golden rule of respectability' and how it affected trial decisions, but also the way in which certain cases were reported for public consumption. Newspaper reporting underlines that individuals in positions of power and influence could more readily establish their respectability. The inferior legal position of women and their practical powerlessness meant that law, as a self-referential system, could maintain its integrity and remain true to its inherent patriarchal ideals by absorbing such commonly accepted feminine stereotypes as practical measures of good behaviour.
