Can television promote a more progressive definition of rape and help delegitimize it?

Abstract

Rape is a socially constructed behavior used in patriarchal societies to devalue women and ensure male supremacy. Being socially constructed means that the definition of rape can change. This thesis addresses the question of whether an established institution—television—can promote a more progressive definition of rape and help delegitimize it. It uses a feminist content analysis to examine the main themes on 14 episodes of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) aired from 2012-2015. It is qualitative and inductive in nature, approached from a grounded theory perspective. The data demonstrate that SVU does, to some extent, present a more progressive view of rape instead of perpetuating the common stereotypes of rape. Essentially, SVU represents a new variety of definitions of rape that are reflective of white, privileged, heterosexual and young women's experiences in the United States. Race, class, sexual orientation and identity are barely taken into account even though many social inequalities based on them characterize American life.