Did She Really Want It? The Effects of Gender and Drinking on Rape Myth Acceptance
Persistent URL
Author(s)
Conn, Kathryn
Date Issued
April 26, 2011
Abstract
Rape myths are widely and persistently held false beliefs about rape that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women. The current study investigated both gender and drinking habits as predictors of rape myth acceptance, as well as the seven rape myth components, “she asked for it,” “it wasn’t really rape,” “he didn’t mean to,” “she wanted it,” “she lied,” “rape is a trivial event,” and “rape is a deviant event,” in a sample of undergraduate students. Gender significantly predicted rape myth acceptance and higher scores on the subscales “she asked for it,” “she wanted it,” “she lied,” “rape is a trivial event,” and “rape is a deviant event,” with male participants reporting higher adherence to rape myths than female participants. The number of drinks usually consumed per occasion significantly predicted rape myth acceptance and higher scores on the subscales “it wasn’t really rape,” “she lied” and “rape is a trivial event,” with participants consuming more drinkers per occasion reporting higher adherence to rape myths that participants consuming fewer drinks per occasion. Implications concerning how rape myths serve to maintain existing cultural arrangements and suggestions for more effective alcohol and rape prevention programs are discussed.
Honors
Psychology, 2011
First Reader(s)
Rutledge, Patricia Carr
Other Reader(s)
Heuchert, Juvia P.
Department
Psychology
Type of Publication
Senior Project Paper
Subjects
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Name
2010_11_Conn_Did.pdf
Description
Senior Project
Size
273.56 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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