Gendered Perceptions of Rape Victims: The Relationship between Rape Myths, Victim Blaming, and Gender

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

1 in 4 college women and 1 in 6 college men will be sexually assaulted or raped during their time on campus. Of the approximate 400,000 rapes committed every year, only 25% will be reported. Many victims hesitate to report their attacks because of secondary victimization caused by rape myth acceptance and victim blaming. That is, victims of rape are frequently blamed for their victimization due to false perceptions about victim behavior and appearance. Although rape is typically viewed as a “female problem,” since most sexual assault victims are women, the trauma of being raped and subsequently blamed for being attacked affects female and male victims alike. To add to the literature surrounding rapes of both men and women, this study analyzed the differences in how people view male and female rape victims through the assessment of rape myth acceptance and victim blaming. After collecting surveys from 144 college students, the results showed that men are more likely to accept female rape myths and blame rape victims for their assaults. The findings of this study implicate that colleges and universities should change their rape-prevention programming to empower victims and keep the blame on the offenders.

Author

• Maggie Javitt, Cabrini University