“If I Don’t Allow Him to Have Sex With Me, Our Relationship Will Be Broken”: Rape, Sexual Coercion, and Sexual Compliance Within Marriage in Rural Cambodia

Rape, sexual coercion, and sexual compliance within marriage are major components of gender-based violence globally. This article examines a range of non-consensual sexual experiences within heterosexual marriage in Aoral and Thpong districts in Kampong Speu, Cambodia. Interviews were conducted with 11 married women and thematically analyzed from a critical realist and feminist perspective. Four categories of non-consensual sex were identified and analyzed (rape/forced sex, sexual coercion, sexual compliance, and internalized pressure). These are discussed in detail, alongside the need for educational efforts that disrupt traditional gender norms that create a context conducive to women’s non-consensual sex in Cambodia.

Attachment Anxiety, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Sexual Compliance

People may consent to sexual activity with a partner when they do not desire it (i.e., sexual compliance), and such behavior is particularly prevalent in women. Despite the negative consequences of unwanted sex, (e.g., guilt and poor health), few studies have considered those factors influencing sexual compliance. Attachment anxiety is characterized by overestimation of relationship threats and sensitivity to romantic rejection and rape myths are beliefs about rape that deny, trivialize, or justify sexual aggression and assault. In the present study both attachment anxiety and rape myth acceptance were hypothesized to influence perceptions of unwanted sex and personal experience of sexual compliance. Heterosexual women ( N = 158) completed a series of online standardized self-report measures. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to determine whether attachment anxiety and rape myth acceptance predicted women’s perceptions of unwanted sex (perpetrator blame, victim blame, no blame, compliance, confrontation, and ignore) and personal experience of sexual compliance, while controlling for participant age and length of their current romantic relationship. Women high on attachment anxiety were less likely to endorse confrontation of a partner and were more likely to report personal experience of unwanted sex. Those accepting rape myths were more likely to endorse compliance and less likely to blame perpetrators or endorse confrontation of the partner. Future research should consider the consequences of unwanted sex and experiences of sexual compliance in nonheterosexual relationships and those who do not identify as women.

Premarital Sexual Compliance among Urban Indonesian Women: A Descriptive Study

Premarital sexual compliance is a common phenomenon found among women, and this tendency is influenced by the socialization of gender roles. This descriptive study examines the prevalence of and reasons for premarital sexual compliance by women in Jakarta. What surroundings are they in? What aspects of their relationships precede it? And, what are the emotional consequences of sexually compliant behavior? From 1,444 research participants obtained through accidental sampling, 391 participants have performed sexual compliance. The data for these 391 individuals was analyzed to explore and identify the intricacies of this behavior by urban women in Jakarta. Results show that gender roles and the sexual script seem to influence the occurrence of premarital sexual compliance behavior. One suggested intervention or prevention measure to eradicate this issue, among others, would be the development of a program designed to increase sexual assertiveness and to execute comprehensive sex education programs in schools.