BUT IF YOU CANT RAPE YOUR WIFE WHO

“BUT IF YOU CAN’T RAPE YOUR WIFE, WHO CAN YOU RAPE? ” MARITAL RAPE IN THE SCOPE OF SECOND-WAVE FEMINISM IN OREGON Mc. Kenzie Warden History 407 Thesis HSA Presentation

OREGON V. RIDEOUT (1978) • Primary Sources at UO archives • First marital rape case in the nation • But why is this case important? & what exactly does it tell us? Gretchen Kafoury Collection, Box 6, Folder 34, UO Archives, Eugene

THESIS • Oregon serves as an interesting case study for the success of feminist mobilization in the 1970 s, yet demonstrates how legislation did not immediately change society’s deep rooted assumptions about gender, family roles, and sexual violence.

BACKGROUND & EVIDENCE • • History of Marriage & Role of Women Background on Rape & its Implications Political Climate in 1970 s Oregon SB 503, the Trial, & General Backlash Gretchen Kafoury Collection, Box 6, Folder 34, UO Archives, Eugene

THE EVOLUTION OF MARRIAGE, WOMEN’S ROLES, & RAPE http: //www. salon. com/2013/01/30/why_do_rape _laws_still_protect_spouses/ http: //blogs. law. yale. edu/blogs/rarebooks/archive/tags/Blackston e/default. aspx http: //pages. csam. montclair. edu/~chopping/rs/geospati alwomen. html http: //ru-victorian. livejournal. com/36951. html

1970 S POLITICAL CLIMATE IN OREGON “She Flies With Her Own • Women Legislators Wings” • Breadth & Depth of Feminist Agenda • Active Groups/Organizations http: //bluebook. state. or. us/kids/focus/motto. htm Oregon Women’s Land Trust Meeting, 1970 s, © Ruth Mountaingrove

THE BILL, THE TRIAL, & THE BACKLASH 1 9 7 7 9 7 8 Gretchen Kafoury Collection, Box 6, Folder 34, UO Archives, Eugene

QUESTIONS?