When ''no'' becomes ''yes'': Why girls and women consent to unwanted sex

Recent investigations address a ''gray area'' on the sexual-violence spectrum-consent to sexual intercourse that is unwanted. This article reviews qualitative and quantitative investigations of adolescent girls' and young women's reasons for consenting to unwanted intercourse and provides a theoretical framework for understanding these experiences. Central to this theoretical perspective is gender-role socialization in the culture by which many girls internalize stereotyped beliefs about male sexual prerogatives and the importance of a heterosexual relationship to feminine identity. Also addressed are applications of this theoretical framework for prevention and education programs.