Pornography often depicts traditional gender norms and aggression paired with sexual behaviour. Among adolescents, exposure to pornography is related to unhealthy beliefs about gender, sex and relationships. Critical thinking about media may reduce the internalisation of unhealthy messages in pornography. However, there is a dearth of research…

Objective: Explore the ways in which a sample of college women interpret racially/ethnically coded vignettes to understand their perceptions of responsibility and trauma experienced by a hypothetical female sexual assault survivor and her need for social support. Participants: Convenience sample of college women (N = 51) attending a large,…

Sexual assault is a major problem facing colleges and universities, and prevention efforts have begun to examine how student peers can be encouraged to intervene as active bystanders. This study investigated what male students perceived as the most salient risks and benefits of intervening in a situation involving a hypothetical sexual assault and…

This paper examined the effect of sexualized portrayals of female artists in music videos on college students' perceptions of date rape. 132 college students were randomly assigned to view a music video that contained either high or low levels of sexuality and sexual objectification and were then asked to rate the guilt of the male in a scenario…

This study explores the usefulness of the feminist theory in explaining attitudes toward rape and victims of rape in Ghana. The feminist theory of rape posits, inter alia, that patriarchy and gender inequality are major factors in the aetiology of rape and attitudes toward rape and that underlying patriarchy and gender inequality are gender…

Many public school districts across New York State provide sex-ed instruction that is inaccurate, incomplete and biased. This report examines sex-ed materials used during the 2009-2010 and 2010-11 school years from across New York State. Among the New York Civil Liberties Union's (NYCLU's) key findings: (1) Lessons on reproductive anatomy and…

There is a paucity of research on the influence of racist and sexist stereotypes in rape blame attribution, including the jezebel and matriarch stereotypes of Black women. This study extends the literature by examining how victim race, perpetrator race, and participant sex affect perceptions of a rape survivor's promiscuity (jezebel stereotype)…

Female undergraduates read a description of a situation involving a sexual assault and responded to a questionnaire. The degree of force and having no prior acquaintance with the assailant produced more willingness to report the assault. (Author)

Investigates whether female alcohol consumption predicts perceptions of date rape based on two personality measures administered to 290 undergraduates. Results indicate that a stronger belief in token resistance to sex was related to weaker perceptions of rape. As hypothesized, participants scoring higher on sex-role stereotyping perceived fewer…

Seven female students in an outdoor-recreation program were interviewed to determine how fear of violence affects experienced female wilderness travelers. The themes that emerged were stereotypes about sexual assaults, situation and trip location, and alcohol consumption. The difference between real fear and false perceptions is discussed, along…

Dating violence is a significant problem on college campuses that requires preventive interventions. In addition, sexist and stereotypical attitudes that support abusive dating behavior have been recognized as potential risk factors. Previous research has found that fraternity and sorority membership is related to stereotypical beliefs concerning…

The hypothesis that views of rape which place women at a disadvantage are positively related to beliefs which restrict the rights and roles of women in our society is tested. Two scales, the R scale and the W scale, based on a survey of beliefs about rape (Hubert Feild) and the attitudes toward women's scale (Janet Spence and Robert Helmreich),…

Proclivities toward rape and sexual force were studied among 159 college men at a small church-affiliated college. In completing a questionnaire, 34% reported some proclivity to rape or force sex, and those who reported such proclivities held more gender stereotyped attitudes. (SLD)

Examined college student attitudes toward women and attribution of responsibility for acquaintance rape. Findings from 417 students revealed that, in situations described in scenarios, male college students were more likely to assign responsibility to the woman. They more strongly believed that the woman wanted to have sexual intercourse and that…

Tested the effects of viewing R-rated films on perceptions of female responsibility for and enjoyment of date or stranger rape. Participants viewed nonviolent scenes objectifying and degrading women sexually or animated film scenes. They read a fictitious magazine account of a date or stranger rape. The study showed that males who viewed the…