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…

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)…

Two hundred sixty-six college students from four Indiana colleges and universities completed a series of surveys to determine gender differences in attitudes toward rape victims. The instruments adapted and used included the Rubin and Peplau Just World Scale (JWS), the Burt Sex Role Stereotype Scale, the Attitudes Toward Rape Victims Scale (ATRVS)…

Attribution theory research has been criticized for minimizing the influences of social structure variables on individuals. The role of social factors in attributions was explored with 90 females and 50 males who, after reading interviews between police and assault victims, made attributions of blame about different types of assault. The…

Date and acquaintance rape may be more prevalent on college campuses than in other environments, and colleges are struggling to confront the issue. Sexism and racism contribute to underreporting of and misconceptions about sexual abuse in college settings. Policies, programs, and procedures for combating sexual assaults on campus are recommended.…

Rape victims' gaze behavior when identifying a defendant and the prior relationship between victim and defendant were examined for effects on rape culpability attributions. In comparison with victims who used gaze maintenance or natural gaze behavior, rape victims' gaze avoidance was perceived as indicative of less truthfulness rather than…

Reports on a study of the depiction of women in 54 college criminology textbooks published between 1956 and 1992. Finds that, although recent textbooks have made important strides about discussing women as victims, they say far less about women's ability to resist oppression by words and deeds. (CFR)

Violence is a part of daily life in the United States, the world's leader in the number of homicides, rapes, and assaults. This working paper examines the issue of violence in the United States from a gender equity perspective. Gendered violence is reinforced by cultural beliefs that allow individuals and groups to use violence to establish and…

Violence is a part of daily life in the United States, which leads the world in homicides, rapes, and assaults. Violence is also part of the daily reality for many children in today's society, both at home and in school. The school system can be a key intervention point in providing students with the information necessary to understand and prevent…

Presents the results of a study that surveyed a number of U.S. and Scottish undergraduates on the relative acceptance of myths involving sexual assaults. Results suggest that a lower incidence of sexual assaults corresponds to a diminished belief in myths involving rape. Includes statistical analysis of variance. (MJP)

This book links research on two topics--sexual assault on North American college and university campuses and the role played by male peer support in such assaults. Disputing the notion that college campuses are safe havens from crime, the first chapter defines sexual assault, notes the incidence and prevalence of campus sexual assault, and…