NCJ Number
86507
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 357-360
Date Published
1982
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examines the needs, femininity and masculinity, and attitudes toward rape of a sample of female State police recruits, a comparison group of females, and male State police recruits.
Abstract
Thirty-three female State police recruits near the end of training and 31 female college students were administered a questionnaire anonymously containing the androgyny scale (Bem 1974) and the attitude toward rape scale (Feild 1978). In addition, each subject was asked for her age, race, college education, height, and weight. From these data, an ectomorphy score was devised. The female State police recruits were more masculine than the comparison group. The source of this difference was not that they rated themselves as less feminine on the female adjectives, but that they rated themselves as more masculine on the masculine adjectives; e.g., the recruits rated themselves as more assertive, forceful, and risk-taking without rating themselves as less feminine. In contrast, in their attitudes toward rape and rape victims, there were few differences between female recruits and the comparison group. The recruits were more likely to ascribe a role to the victim in precipitating the rape and more likely to feel that the victim should resist. Even after several months of rigorous physical training, the recruits did not differ from the comparison group in weight or ectomorphy scores. Although differences were found between the female State police recruits and the male recruits on the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the profiles did share many similar high needs and low needs. Both groups had high needs for achievement, exhibition, intraception, dominance, and heterosexuality, while they had low needs for affiliation and abasement. Tabular data and seven references are provided.