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The belief in rape myths - that is, when people accept that it is only rape if the victim is a woman who is sexually coerced with violence by a stranger in a dark alley - could be the reason why people around the globe do not support many rape victims and even leave perpertrators unpunished, confirms a new study from Hungary, published in the peer-reviewed scholarly journal Social Psychological Bulletin. The phenomenon is of particular concern when dealing with people who had not been impacted by rape and neither had any of their close ones. The belief in rape myths - that is, when people accept that it is only rape if the victim is a woman who is sexually coerced with violence by a stranger in a dark alley - could be the reason why people around the globe do not support many rape victims and even leave perpertrators unpunished, confirms a new study from Hungary, published in the peer-reviewed scholarly journal Social Psychological Bulletin.
Having conducted three online survey studies, involving a total of 2149 participants, the scientists from Eötvös Loránd University (Budapest, Hungary) conclude that it is people who had not been impacted by rape, and neither had any of their close ones, that are most likely to believe in those myths. Hence, they would more often blame the victim, excuse the perpetrator and overall rationalise rape by accepting that the world is a just place, where rape only happens to people who somehow deserve it. This turned out to be particularly true for ‘uncertain’ cases of rape, i.e. where the scenario does not fit into the stereotype.
While a stereotypical rape scenario - as the one explained above - is generally condemned by the society, the actual majority of rapes goes unlabeled as such. Instances where, for example, the perpetrators are known to the victims, have no criminal record or use means other than physical violence to persuade them into a sexual act, are often played down by shared beliefs, such as: “if a girl acts like a slut, eventually she is going to get into trouble” or “rape happens when a guy’s sex drive goes out of control”. As a result, victims of non-stereotypical rape are likely to receive nor support, nor understanding, and ultimately fail to report the crime (on time) or receive proper legislative measures.
“Unsupportive reactions to rape survivors are not only a global public health problem but a human rights violation too. The cause of the high perpetration and latency rates is that sexual violence is a systematic problem connected to society’s views about rape,” say the scientists. They also add that estimates have shown that the actual number of rapes in Hungary is as much as 415 times higher than those reported.
The issue at hand, it turns out, is that rape myths acceptance functions as a cognitive schema, where people take ‘shortcuts’ instead of interpreting themselves particular information. Thus, they might be susceptible to ignoring new information, which does not conform with their pre-existing beliefs and ideas, hence reinforcing stereotypes. On these lines, those “who endorse rape myths are increasingly likely to identify women’s friendly behavior as sexually teasing, less likely to suggest rape survivors report the rape, and less likely to label forced sex as rape”. Additionally, those who consider rape as a sexual, rather than a violent act, are more likely to downplay the seriousness of rape.
On the other hand, people who have either been victims of rape and those who have a close relation to a victim, are much less likely to accept those rape myths. While both groups are best suited to offer direct support for survivors of rape and play an important role in interventions aiming to reduce rape and sexual assaults, this is particularly true for the latter.
The scientists remind that previous studies have shown that activities that aim to bring about cultural and social changes by confronting existing misconceptions and stereotypes are most successful when involving people who cannot be seen as immediate beneficiaries. Such an effect had already been observed with movements against sexism that have been advocated by men rather than women.
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Research article:
Nyúl, B., Nariman, H. S., Szabó, M., Ferenczy, D., & Kende, A. (2022). Rape Myth Acceptance is Lower and Predicts Harsher Evaluations of Rape Among Impacted People. Social Psychological Bulletin, 16(4), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.3897
Article Publication Date
14-Mar-2022