What is a typical rape? Effects of victim and participant gender in female and male rape perception.
The study had three research aims: (1) to examine the current perception of female rape. Given recent changes in public awareness of female rape, it was predicted that respondents would conceptualize a typical female rape as an acquaintance rape rather than as the stranger rape stereotype; (2) to examine whether these perceptions differ according to respondents' gender; (3) to examine the 'cultural lag' theory of male rape, where it was hypothesized that if the public perception of male rape lags behind female rape, then a typical male rape will be conceptualized as the classic stranger rape stereotype. Findings showed that contrary to predictions, a typical female rape was conceptualized according to the stranger rape stereotype. It was also found that instead of lagging behind female rape along the stranger-acquaintance rape dimension, male rape was viewed predominantly in terms of 'other' factors (factors not found on the stranger-acquaintance dimension, e.g. victim/rapist sexual orientation, rapist calls victim names), which were erroneous, sexualizing and homophobic.
Anderson
Irina
I
Department of Psychology, University of East London, Romford Road, London E15 4LZ, UK. i.anderson@uel.ac.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude / Q000208:ethnology*; D035841:Behavioral Research; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology; D014956:Writing