Belief Systems

Abstract

Recent research demonstrates that victim-callous rape attitudes are widely accepted. These attitudcs (1) help sexually aggressive men justify and deny the negative effects of their behavior and (2) severely hinder both the reporting of rape and the recovery of rape victims. This study based on questionnaire data from 640 college students from four universities investigated (1) acceptance of victim-callous attitudes, (2) the association of sex and gender role beliefs and sexual experience with such attitudes, and (3) sex differences in patterns of beliefs and attitudes. Results indicated that (1) the majority of students did not accept victim-callous attitudes about rape, (2) for both males and females, traditional gender role beliefs were associated with acceptance of victim-callous rape attitudes and egalitarian gender role beliefs were associated with rejection of victim-callous rape attitudes, and (3) males reported more liberal sexual attitudes, more victim-callous attitudes, and less egaliitarian attitudes than females. The victim-callous attitudes that were the least and most commonly accepted are highlighted. Sex differences in belief systems are discussed with respect to both previous research and their probable impact on male/female interactions.

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