NCJ Number
104004
Journal
Corrective and Social Psychiatry and Journal of Behavior Technology Methods and Therapy Volume: 32 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1986) Pages: 99-104
Date Published
1986
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A sample of college students reported strong disapproval of rape but only a slight tendency to reject stereotypes based on sex; the acceptance by many students of gender stereotypes suggests that sexual aggression will continue to be a major social problem.
Abstract
The sample of 237 female and 117 male students completed a 32-item, 5-point Likert-type questionnaire in 1982 and 1983. The questionnaire consisted of a gender stereotyping scale and a rape attitude scale. Both females and males showed slight rejection of stereotypic statements, but their primary attitude was neutrality. An unexpected result was the lack of a significant attitude difference between the genders, a contrast with the findings of Spence and others. Females expressed stronger disapproval of rape than males did, however. More important, the intensity of a respondent's disapproval of rape was clearly associated with the degree to which the respondent rejected gender stereotypes. The tendency of many students to adhere to gender stereotypes is cause for concern, because two of the known distinctive features of rapists are their callous attitudes toward women and their acceptance of myths about rape. Figure, 11 tables, and 22 references.