Question Why does society consider it moral (as embodied in its laws) for a 60 year old man to be in a sexual relationship with an 18 year old girl, but considers it immoral for a 25 year old man to have sex with a 17 year old girl? Isn't that just ridiculous?!

Accepted:
September 21, 2006

Comments

The laws concerning statutory rape—laws that make it a crime for anyone to have sex with a person under a certain age—are justified by the belief that people under a certain age cannot give informed consent to sex. It seems reasonable to suppose that this is true, though the age in question might be a matter of debate and, in fact, the laws in different countries, and even in different US states, set different ages. So one might regard it as silly that the law in some particular jurisdiction regards a 17-year-old as incapable of informed consent, and I'd agree with you. But it's not at all obvious what the age-limit ought to be. That said, however, it is important to note that it is not the relative ages of the parties to the act that are relevant but their absolute ages. The reason "society" sees nothing worthy of legal intervention in a sexual relationship between a 60-year-old and an 18-year-old is that it regards the 18-year-old as capable of informed consent.

Question Why does society consider it moral (as embodied in its laws) for a 60 year old man to be in a sexual relationship with an 18 year old girl, but considers it immoral for a 25 year old man to have sex with a 17 year old girl? Isn't that just ridiculous?! Accepted:September 21, 2006

Question Why does society consider it moral (as embodied in its laws) for a 60 year old man to be in a sexual relationship with an 18 year old girl, but considers it immoral for a 25 year old man to have sex with a 17 year old girl? Isn't that just ridiculous?!

Accepted:
September 21, 2006