ABSTRACT
In the Introduction date rape was identified following Mary Koss, as rape where there is some level of romantic relationship between the victim and the assailant. Romantic relationships are the dominant pattern for sex in Britain and the USA: both contain other frameworks, such as arranged marriages, prostitution and formalised sado-masochism, but these are relatively marginal. Mary Koss does not elaborate what she means by ‘some level of romantic relationship’, but from her writing in general and the wider discussion of date rape the obvious conclusion is that the level of romantic involvement can be pretty minimal: an agreement to meet for a date, flirtatious conduct at a party, a past relationship currently ended, all might qualify. A romantic relationship and consent to sex are likely to overlap, although, plainly, minimal romantic relationships such as those listed in the previous sentence fall very well short of consent. Hence the issue of consent and non-consent and how these are identified - by participants, by empirical investigators, and theoretically - is very important in the discussion of date rape.
