Extending the Black-White Binary in Sexual Assault Research: Triangulation of Racialized Sexualities in Perceiver Perception of Victim and Perpetrator Culpability

• In Event: Victim blaming based on myths about rape and sexual assault

Abstract

Like much of the research on race in social sciences, victim-blaming research has long focused on differences between blacks and whites. While there has been limited research on blaming of other racial groups, there is a lack of research that examines blaming across multiple groups within a study. This has lead largely to
viewing blaming as solely constructed as white target vs. woman of color target. This ignores how racial groups are sexualized in relation to each other. This means that sexualization of Black women does not just occur in relation to White women, but does to in relation to Asian women as well (which is the same for the construction of racialized masculinities). This research utilizes a stranger rape vignette to vary the race of the target and perpetrator (White, Black, Asian) to test hypotheses about how race and sex intersect to create different perceptions of blame for victims and perpetrators. Controlling for observer race and sex, we assess racialized differences between victims and perpetrators in terms of observers’ ratings of: culpability, responsibility, negative affect, sympathy, and empathy.

Authors

• Bridget K. Welch, Western Illinois University

• Anna E. Kosloski, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

• Melanie D. Hetzel-Riggin, Pennsylvania State University, Behrend