# Should we prosecute women for shagging 16 and 17 year old men? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219 "2012-10-09T15:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/21 "2012-10-09T18:01:13Z")
> [@Szlater](#): > > There is still a power relationship in your example, isn’t there. No. At least there’s no unusual power, granted by the state, or the use of force. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/22 "2012-10-09T18:04:05Z")
I just don’t buy that for young men sex is only above masturbating. It may be the case for some or even many young men, but I have seen many young men broken hearted and wrecked over a young woman, and she is the one who couldn’t care less. Generalizations never work. (ha!) ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/23 "2012-10-09T18:10:59Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Statutory rape laws are not about protecting sweet girls from being knocked up or having their feelings hurt. It’s about not allowing sexual predators to have sex with kids. Nobody should having sex with kids. Nobody should be having sex with their students. It really is this simple. All of this “Derp derp, but guys like getting laid” is superlatively dumb as hell. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/24 "2012-10-09T19:02:48Z")
Whatever the age, it should be the same for males and females, gay or straight. And I agree, that sex between a teacher and his/her student should be illegal. (Though I’d give anything to have had an affair with Mr. D., my 8th grade math teacher.) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/25 "2012-10-09T19:51:07Z")
I chose other for several reasons. Primarily, I think that teachers should be banned from having sex with their students. It might be true that guys aren’t as sentimental about sex, but, at a young age, they might also be less aware of the differences; they might not realize that what’s a step above masturbation for them might be more impactful on their partner. I also imagined what the situation would be like if the sexual relationship were homosexual. Would it be alright for a 27 year old man or woman to have sex with a gay 17 year old? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/26 "2012-10-09T20:30:15Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > By the way, if the teacher looked like [this](http://fenceviewer.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=71993:teacher-charged-with-sex-assault-enters-no-contest-pleas&Itemid=938) or [this](http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/03/03/former-high-school-aide-found-guilty-of-having-sex-with-student/) would that make it more or less consensual? > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Yes. We should only prosecute ugly women who sleep with little boys. I’m being serious. The OP called an attractive 27-year old teacher who happens to also be a cheerleader for a football team “just one typical example.” I submit two “typical” examples of teachers who are in their 50’s and would not be hired as cheerleaders. That shouldn’t make any difference, right **aceplace**? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/27 "2012-10-09T20:52:59Z")
My trouble with it is that teacher/student sex is a felony. A “spend 5 years in the clink for one night of sex with someone over 18 years old” type felony. Lose your job, sure. Maybe get probation… but multiple years in jail for having consensual sex with someone capable of giving consent? That’s just nuts. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/28 "2012-10-09T21:03:44Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > My trouble with it is that teacher/student sex is a felony. A “spend 5 years in the clink for one night of sex with someone over 18 years old” type felony. > > Lose your job, sure. Maybe get probation… but multiple years in jail for having consensual sex with someone capable of giving consent? That’s just nuts. That’s what I think. There’s a difference between rape and sexual harassment. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/29 "2012-10-09T21:09:11Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > It’s statutory rape. I could be wrong, but I read the OP question as (almost) equivalent to “Should 16 year old human males be legally allowed to have sex, or should that be considered statutory rape?” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/30 "2012-10-09T21:11:18Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Yes. We should only prosecute ugly women who sleep with little boys. I have been (rightly) taken to task for calling a 15-year-old human female a little girl. Is a 16-year-old human male a little boy? ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/31 "2012-10-09T21:14:13Z")
Your poll is foolish because it assumes the age of consent to be 18, which is very high by world standards. I also think that if anything the age of consent for a female teacher/male pupil relationship should be lower than that of normal relationships on the basis the woman is far less likely to be being a predatory cougar. I wouldn’t have a problem with letting women teachers sleep with fourteen year old boys in principle. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/32 "2012-10-09T21:17:02Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Your poll is foolish because it assumes the age of consent to be 18, which is very high by world standards. > > I also think that if anything the age of consent for a female teacher/male pupil relationship should be lower than that of normal relationships on the basis the woman is far less likely to be being a predatory cougar. I wouldn’t have a problem with letting women teachers sleep with fourteen year old boys in principle. I’m okay with prohibiting all student-teacher text because of the inherent power imbalance and the potential for disruption of the educational process. And I prefer it be criminalized because I don’t want schools to have the discretion whether or not to punish administratively. I’ve already seen that movie, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/33 "2012-10-09T21:19:20Z")
Voted no. I’m a guy. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/34 "2012-10-09T21:25:46Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > I wouldn’t have a problem with letting women teachers sleep with fourteen year old boys in principle. Sir Jimmy Savile is a sick paedo, but Dame Jane Savile is fine in your book? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/35 "2012-10-09T21:31:51Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I have been (rightly) taken to task for calling a 15-year-old human female a little girl. Is a 16-year-old human male a little boy? The hell? In what context did you say this? Because in general, anyone in the 10th grade is a little kid. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/36 "2012-10-09T21:34:16Z")
As a parent I answer this differently than I might have as a young man without children. I guess my chief concern, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, is how psychologically messed up the older adult often is in these cases. I would want neither my daughter nor my son involved with any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/37 "2012-10-09T21:53:22Z")
Somewhat poorly constructed poll. The question in the poll is the reverse of the question in the title. I almost voted the wrong way… (Yeah, yeah, I know: read it more carefully. Still… “Butterfly Ballot” and all.) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/38 "2012-10-09T21:55:46Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I imagine no parent of a 16 year old boy wants his 25 year old teacher to sleep with him and then get pregnant either. And if she wants custody of the child criminal or not, she’ll probably be given it. And it’s the boy/his parents who will pay child support to the woman. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > If, as men, we were told by society that our goal in life is to find a good woman and marry her and that failure to do so would mean , perhaps these teenage relationships that you think young men shrug off would be a little more scarring. On the contrary; judging from history (because that’s pretty much how boys _were_ raised in the past) it leads to men being highly sexist and contemptuous of women, looking at them as toys or as a burden forced upon them. “The old ball and chain”. Coercing men into marriage produces hostility from men towards women; much as women being told that _they_ must get married produces hostility in women towards men. It makes the other gender into the enemy. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > BThis may have been true for youm and it may be true on the average, or true for more boys than girls, but it is not always true. There are some boys who are very sentimental about sex and love, and some girls who are not. I agree. Oh, I do think that _on average_ that a teenage girl is going to romanticize sex more than a boy does; but there are too many exceptions to make using it as a basis for a law that treats boys one way and girls another to be a good idea. > [@even\_sven](#): > > Statutory rape laws are not about protecting sweet girls from being knocked up or having their feelings hurt. Quite often - I’d say usually - they are. What else can you call it when two 16 year olds have sex, and the boy gets on the sex criminal list while the girl gets counseling for her “trauma”? ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/39 "2012-10-09T21:55:55Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > It’s statutory rape. It’s about a line the law has drawn to say that “from age X downward, a person does not have the cognitive ability to understand their actions with regards to sex and sexual relations.” It’s about protecting the minor child from being taken advantage of. Yes, even if some of those kids really really want it and some of those kids will not, in retrospect, have emotional damage that results from the actions of the adult. > > It has nothing to do with whether a person gets pregnant or the sentimentality of the actors involved in it. Enough said. Sex with underage children is still wrong no matter the genders involved. MM, MF, FM, MMMMMFFMMFFFMFMFMFMFMF It doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219/40 "2012-10-09T21:57:15Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Somewhat poorly constructed poll. The question in the poll is the reverse of the question in the title. I almost voted the wrong way… > > (Yeah, yeah, I know: read it more carefully. Still… “Butterfly Ballot” and all.) I did vote the wrong way. I want my vote back. I demand a revote! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-prosecute-women-for-shagging-16-and-17-year-old-men/637219.md?page=3)