Sexual Consent in The Irish Legal System: Sex Scripts in Irish Law
Keywords:
Consent, Sex Scripts in Irish Law, Irish Legal System, Rape Myths, Reform Rape Legislation, Law on Sexual Offences, Prosecution of Sexual Assault, Gender, Gender Studies, Criminal LawAbstract
The aim of the present report is to provide a broad knowledge of the current policy in Ireland. The laws regarding sexual assault and rape will be outlined. Further, the connection between these laws and sex script theory will be analysed. Sex script theory proposes that individuals develop standardised behaviours during sexual interactions based on social norms (Beres, Herold & Maitland, 2004). For example, a common sex script is that in a heterosexual interaction the man should actively encourage sex whereas the woman should deny sex (Byers, 1996). The connection between sex script and Irish policy indicate that stereotypical beliefs may influence written Irish policy and affect legal decisions of cases of sexual crimes. This finding has implications for potential changes to the Irish legal system.
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