Quote:
Originally Posted by sworkhard
Either way, it seems that this tweet is referring to something obviously false; the idea that sex was traditionally confined to marriage to preserve one's reputation and/or reduce the risk of sexual assault. These are both obviously not the case as marriage throughout almost all of history was about successfully raising children.
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The two are connected. Marriage was typically arranged by families as a kind of economic union, as inherited property was the foundation of your security and prosperity. Everyone wanted to make sure they were getting an even deal, and that they knew the providence of their children and grandchildren. This is easiest in a society where sex is confined to marriage.
Human nature being what it is, the more unmarried men and women have social contact with one another, the greater the opportunity for socially unsanctioned sex - both sex outside marriage
and rape. In most traditional societies, young men and young women aren't allowed to mix without chaperones or other monitoring. This is to protect families from unwanted unions, girls from rape and unwanted pregnancies, and men from raising children who aren't their own.
It's a fallacy that rape wasn't a crime until recently. It's a crime in every society we know of. It just wasn't a crime applied universally the way we apply it today. It wasn't applied to unwanted sex in marriage, and it didn't afford protection to women who were outside the normal social structures - slaves, prostitutes, impoverished widows. But it's not as though people would just shrug it off if a guy raped his neighbour's wife or daughter. Our ancestors weren't monsters.