Men Lack Sympathy For Rape Victims
24 Jun 2009
Men blame male victims of rape for not fighting off their attacker. This is one
of the findings of Dr Michelle Davies and Dr Paul Rogers from University of
Central Lancashire who will present their research at the British Psychological
Society's Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference today, Wednesday
24th June 2009. The conference is being held the University of Central
Lancashire, Preston.
This study focused on attitudes of blame towards rape victims in different
scenarios, including drug-assisted-rape.
301 participants (150 men and 151 women, with an average age 23) read a scenario
in which victim gender, sexuality, and whether the victim was awake or asleep at
the time of the assault were manipulated. They were than asked to complete a
questionnaire on blame.
The results showed that men had less sympathy for rape victims overall and
tended to blame the victim more than women did. In particular men were blamed
for not fighting back.
The men questioned in the study classed assaults on gay men as the least serious
especially if the victim was conscious.
Dr Davies commented: 'Rape is a heinous crime and the process of gaining a
conviction can be almost as traumatic. Knowing certain victims in certain
situations are blamed more than others gives those involved in treating victims
a "head start" in knowing what types of reactions victims might face.'
The conference is being held at the University of Central Lancashire from the
23rd to 25th July.
Source
British Psychological Society
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Promiscuous Men More Likely To Rape
24 Jun 2009
This is one of the findings of Sophia Shaw and colleagues from the University of
Leicester who will present their research at the British Psychological Society
Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference today, Tuesday 23rd June, at
the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.
First, 101 men aged between 18 and 70 completed questionnaires regarding their
sexual history, personality and aggression. They were then asked to imagine
themselves in different scenarios with one woman but varying her dress, how much
alcohol she had drank, how assertive she was and how many previous sexual
partners she had.
Men who considered themselves sexually experienced were willing to coerce the
woman to a later stage in the scenario than those with less sexual experience.
These men also reported that they found resistance from a woman sexually
arousing.
Alcohol, however, had the opposite effect than predicted, with participants more
likely to coerce women who were sober rather than drunk.
Sophia explained: "Previous research has suggested that women are more
likely to be raped by someone they know, yet they fear rape by strangers more.
This study was concerned with examining the factors that lead men to have a
greater likelihood to commit rape in scenarios involving a woman who was an
acquaintance."
"We can see from the results that sexually experienced men are more likely
to coerce women in sexual situations; even more so if they believe the women to
be sexually experienced."
The conference is being held at the University of Central Lancashire from the
23rd to 25th June.
Source
British Psychological Society
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
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