NCJ Number
215124
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 12 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 789-800
Date Published
August 2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the role of hostile sexism in accounting for rape proclivity among a sample of male Zimbabwean students.
Abstract
Results revealed a significant and positive relationship between hostile sexism and rape proclivity, indicating that the higher an individual’s level of hostile sexism, the more likely they were to self-report proclivity to commit rape. The majority of participants reported a higher proclivity for acquaintance rape than for stranger rape. The last finding may indicate that those who express hostile sexism are more likely to be hostile toward women in situations perceived as more acceptable or justifiable. Overall, the results support the argument that the “rape myth acceptance” explanation may be too broad to account for variation in peoples’ responses to different types of rape. Participants were 60 male college students randomly selected from a university in Zimbabwe. Participants were randomly assigned to read a scenario of either an acquaintance rape or a stranger rape and were questioned regarding their proclivity to behave like the assailant in the scenario. Participants also completed a series of questionnaires designed to measure hostile sexism, including the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory and the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Data analysis included the use of hierarchical regression analyses. Future research should explore hostile sexism and rape proclivity in other cultures in order to inform conclusions regarding the cross-cultural validity of the current findings. Researchers should also focus on the social and psychological factors underlying the relationship between hostile sexism and rape proclivity in African cultures. Tables, references