Rape Myth Acceptance Among Korean College Students: The Roles of Gender, Attitudes Toward Women, and Sexual Double Standard

Colleges are rape-prone cultures with high rates of sexual victimization. Fraternities’ and sororities’ relationships with sexual assault are consistent themes in literature focusing on sexual violence among college students. Previous research suggests that fraternity men are more likely to endorse rape-supportive attitudes compared with non-Greek men or sorority women. The present study examines rape-supportive attitudes as well as rape and sexual assault victimization in college students with a focus on gender and Greek-life (i.e., involvement in fraternities or sororities) status variables. College students ( N = 1,002) completed a survey including the Token Resistance to Sex Scale (TRSS), Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale–Short Form (IRMA-S), and items related to past experiences of nonconsensual sex. Two regression models tested predictors of token resistance and rape myth acceptance. Chi-square analyses tested between-group differences of experiencing rape and sexual assault. Gender ( p < .001), Greek status ( p < .001), and race/ethnicity ( p < .001) were predictors for TRSS scores. For IRMA scores, gender ( p < .001), Greek status ( p < .001), and race/ethnicity variables ( p < .001) were also significant. Interaction terms revealed that Greek men had higher token resistance and rape myth acceptance than any other group. Chi-square analyses indicate women more frequently report experiences of rape (χ2 = 25.57, df = 1, p < .001) and sexual assault (χ2 = 31.75, df = 1, p < .001). Men report high rates (40.8%) of experiencing sexual assault “because refusing was useless.” No differences of victimization rates were found between Greeks and non-Greeks. Gender and sexual scripting theory can help explain gender differences in attitudes and experiences. Greater endorsement of rape myth acceptance and token resistance by Greeks, who influence college party culture, could be contributing to a culture conducive to rape. Findings demonstrate a continued need for interventions focused on shifting sociocultural dynamics (e.g., traditional roles and sexual scripting) on college campuses.

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Rape Myth Acceptance Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Mostly Heterosexual College Students

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260517733282 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 088626051773328 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Meredith G. F. Worthen

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Rape Myth Acceptance ◽

Rape Myth ◽

Mostly Heterosexual ◽

Myth Acceptance

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Sexual Coercion Practices Among Undergraduate Male Recreational Athletes, Intercollegiate Athletes, and Non-Athletes

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801216651339 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 795-812 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Belinda-Rose Young ◽

Sarah L. Desmarais ◽

Julie A. Baldwin ◽

Rasheeta Chandler

Keyword(s):

Sexual Coercion ◽

Gender Role Attitudes ◽

Rape Myth Acceptance ◽

Attitudes Toward Women ◽

Rape Myth ◽

Intercollegiate Athletes ◽

Recreational Athletes ◽

Male Undergraduate ◽

Dependent Variables ◽

Myth Acceptance

Prior research shows that male intercollegiate athletes are at risk for perpetrating sexual violence. Whether this risk extends to male recreational athletes has not been explored. This study assessed associations between attitudes toward women, rape myth acceptance, and prevalence of sexual coercion among 379 male, undergraduate recreational and intercollegiate athletes and non-athletes. Our analyses showed significant differences between the responses of athletes and non-athletes for all dependent variables, and intercollegiate and recreational athletes on attitudes toward women and the prevalence of sexual coercion. Controlling for rape myth acceptance and traditional gender role attitudes eliminated differences between athletes and non-athletes in prevalence of sexual coercion.

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Rape Myth Acceptance, Efficacy, and Heterosexual Scripts in Men’s Magazines: Factors Associated With Intentions to Sexually Coerce or Intervene

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260516653752 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (8) ◽

pp. 1703-1733 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Stacey J. T. Hust ◽

Kathleen Boyce Rodgers ◽

Stephanie Ebreo ◽

Whitney Stefani

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Sexual Coercion ◽

Rape Myth Acceptance ◽

Rape Myth ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Men's Magazines ◽

Potential Factors ◽

Myth Acceptance

Sexual coercion has gained researchers’ attention as an underreported form of sexual abuse or harm. The percentage of male and female college students who reported engaging in sexual coercion was as high as 82% for verbally coercive behaviors over the course of a year. Guided by heterosexual scripting theory and the integrated model of behavioral prediction, we examine potential factors associated with college students’ intentions to sexually coerce or to intervene when friends plan to sexually coerce (bystander intention). Factors included young college students’ beliefs about rape myth acceptance, perceived norms, efficacy to reduce sexual-assault risk, and exposure to men’s and women’s magazines. As predicted, results indicate rape myth acceptance was positively associated with intentions to sexually coerce, and negatively associated with bystander intentions to intervene. Students’ efficacy to reduce sexual-assault risk was negatively associated with intentions to sexually coerce, and positively associated with bystander intentions. Exposure to the heterosexual scripts in men’s magazines, which connect sexual prowess to masculinity, was associated with intentions to sexually coerce. Exposure to magazines was not associated with bystander intentions to intervene. Overall, an understanding of the independent contribution of these factors toward sexual coercion and intervention has implications for dating violence prevention programming.

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