Second Assault - Rape and Public Attitudes

• NCJ Number: 81435
• Author(s): J E Williams; K A Holmes
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 243 pages
• Sale Source: Greenwood Publishing Group
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Contributions in Women's Studies, Number 27.

Annotation

The public perception of rape -- using data collected in San Antonio, Texas - is the focus of this study. The analysis was based on interviews with rape victims and the general public and also incorporates information from psychological, sociological, and feminist literature on rape.

Abstract

The text provides an overview of the 'rape problem,' tracing the contributions of various professional studies. It then examines the status of women in the white, black, and Mexican-American communities to illustrate that sex and racial-ethnic roles are shaped by history and are maintained by a system of racial-sexual stratification. It suggests that the kinds of attitudes about rape manifested by these racial-ethnic communities are largely determined by differential status (power), roles, and related attitudes. Based on interviews with 61 rape victims and with 1,011 male and female residents of San Antonio, Tex., the study develops a profile of the rape experience, evaluates its impact related to crisis theory, and assesses victims' perceptions of service delivery. The study also describes cross-cultural attitudes toward rape, comparing the white, black, and Mexican-American samples, and investigates attitudes about rape linked with sex-role assumptions and expectations. Findings indicate that whites' definition of rape situations and their assessment of female fault were to some degree a function of their underlying belief that women are responsible for rape; that blacks and Mexican-Americans hold similar attitudes, but that Mexican-Americans believe that women harbor a rape wish. Mexican-American women are also the most adversely affected and least adequately prepared to cope with the experience of rape. According to the authors, black women are the most successful in coping with the impact of rape. The study concludes with the hypothesis that vested interest, probably emanating from rape risks or perceived threat, is associated with attitudes toward rape. Implications of these findings for service delivery and strategies for change are noted. Tables, chapter notes, over 100 references, and an index are included. Appendixes present the study's operational definitions and measurement, sampling, and additional findings, as well as statistical procedures for analyzing public attitude data.