Rape perceptions and definitions

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Rape perceptions and definitions
Emma Sleath and Ray Bull University of Leicester

• How they may affect our attitudes towards victims

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What are rape myths?

• Prejudicial, stereotypical or false beliefs
  about rape, rape victims and rapists (Burt,
  1980).
• Cultural beliefs about rape
• Support and perpetuate male sexual violence
  against women?

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Why may people hold rape myths?

• An example of stereotyping
• Lonsway and Fitzgerald (1994)
• Denial and justification

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Implications of rape myths

• Peterson and Muehlenhard (2004)
• Definition of real rape
• The majority of rapes are carried out by people
  known to the victim.
• Treatment of rape victims within the criminal
  justice system

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Other factors being examined

• Belief in a just world
• Adherence to a traditional gender role

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Method

• To examine the influence of rape myths in
  stranger and acquaintance rape.
• A victim blame measure
• Three other questionnaires used
• Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (Payne,
  Lonsway, Fitzgerald, 1999)
• Short version of Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem,
  1981)
• Belief in a just world scale (Dalbert, Montada,
  Schmitt, 1987)

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Study 2 - Results

• Standard multiple regression
• Rape myth acceptance (p
• Belief in a just world (p.039)
• Type of rape (p.012)
• Levels of rape myths (p
• All significant predictors (adjusted r2 .41)

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Study 2 - Results Cont.

• No significant effect for gender role found
  (p.60)

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Study 2 - Results Cont.

• (i) Type of rape scenario (stranger vs
  acquaintance rape) BY
• (ii) Level of myth in scenario (lower or higher)
• between groups ANOVA
• Significant main effect of type of rape (p.04)
• Significant main effect for levels of rape myths
  (p.03)

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Study 2 - Results Cont.

• Significant interaction (p.049)

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Rape vignette descriptions

• High rape myth loaded vignette
• Mark and Sarah are both university students who
  met at a party at a mutual friends house, half a
  mile from where Sarah lived. They got on well
  that evening. They both drank alcohol, laughed at
  each others jokes, and flirted. Sarah was
  wearing a short skirt, high heels and a low cut
  top. Late that night, Sarah invited Mark back to
  her room. Their path went through a small park.
  When they got to her room, they hugged and Sarah
  kissed Mark on the mouth. Mark began to undress
  her. Sarah asked Mark to stop. Mark began to
  push her back onto the bed. Sarah tried to push
  him away. Mark then physically forced her into
  sexual intercourse.

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Future directions The role of the criminal
justice system

• Dispatches 27/05/06
• Leicestershire Police
• 15 of all rapes are reported to the police
  (British Crime Survey, 2001)
• Some areas of good practice e.g. Sexual Assault
  Referral Centres

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• Conviction rates for rape are very low

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The government campaign
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(No Transcript)
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Final conclusion

• The implication of rape myths
• Criminal justice system

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Contact details

• Emma Sleath
• Forensic Section
• University of Leicester
• Email ers6_at_le.ac.uk