6.6.1: Attitudes About Marital Rape

Previously we considered an internet survey that was conducted on 85 undergraduate students and 44 alumni from a small liberal arts college (Ferro et al. 2008). The purpose of the study was to determine if the relationship between the victim and the offender influenced how the participants rated a scenario described in the narrative in terms of commons myths about rape.

A rape myth is defined as “prejudicial, stereotyped, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, and rapists” (Burt 1980). Most rape myths relate to denying the culpability of the perpetrator and undermining the experiences of the victim (Barber 1974; Whatley 1996). It has also been noted that traditional rape myths exist to justify sexual aggression toward women (Lonsway and Fitzgerald 1994).

The narratives were rated by the participants using three measurement systems. The first measurement system consisted of parts of the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, the second measurement system was the Rape-Supportive Attributions Scale, and the third measurement system was the Sex-Role Stereotypical Victim Attributions Scale.

The Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale was developed to improve on an existing rape myth measurement system through a reconceptualization of rape myths using research from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy (Payne et al. 1999; Lonsway and Fitzgerald 1994, 1995).

This research led to the definition that rape myths are “attitudes and beliefs that are generally false but are widely and persistently held, and that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women” (Lonsway and Fitzgerald 1994). Using this conceptualization, a measurement system based on 20 indicators was developed to assess how much an individual believes in rape myths. The measurement system has been categorized into seven dimensions or sub-scales. In the study the overall score from the 20 indicators was used along with three of the dimensions. The three dimensions used were: It Wasn’t Really Rape, which assesses the conditions the individual feels need to be met for a situation to be considered a rape; He Didn't Mean To, which assesses the level of blame the individual attributes to the offender; and Rape is a Deviant Event, which assesses how the individual feels about the deviant nature of rape. The dimensions and indicators are given in Table 6.10. The answers to each of the questions were reported using a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all agree) to 7 (very much agree). The measurement system also includes several “filler questions,” which are meant to reduce bias in the responses from the participating individuals. The Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale has gone through extensive validation, which included six studies using empirical observations using real individuals. These studies established construct validity, factor validity, and internal consistency reliability.

Table 6.10 The seven dimensions and indicators used in the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (Payne et al. 1999).

Dimension 1: She asked for it
1.	If a woman is raped while she is drunk, she is at least somewhat responsible for letting things get out of control.
2.	A woman who dresses in skimpy clothes should not be surprised if a man tries to force her into having sex.
3.	A woman who “teases” men deserves anything that might happen.
4.	When a woman is raped, it's often because the way they said no was ambiguous.
Dimension 2: He didn’t mean to
1.	Men usually don't intend to force sex on a woman, but sometimes they get too sexually carried away.
2.	Rape happens when a man’s sex drive goes out of control.
Dimension 3: It wasn’t really rape
1.	If a woman is raped and doesn't physically fight back, you can't really say that it was rape.
2.	If the rapist doesn’t have a weapon, you really can’t call it a rape.
Dimension 4: She wanted it
1.	Although most women wouldn't admit it, they generally find being physically forced in sex a real “turn on.”
2.	Many women secretly desire to be raped.
Dimension 5: Rape is a trivial event
1.	If a woman is willing to “make out" with a guy, then it's no big deal if he goes a little further and has sex.
2.	Women tend to exaggerate how much rape affects them.
Dimension 6: She lied
1.	Rape accusations are often used as a way for getting back at men.
2.	A lot of women lead a man on and the cry rape.
Dimension 7: Rape is a deviant event
1.	It is usually only women who dress suggestively who are raped.
2.	Men from nice middle-class homes almost never rape.
3.	Rape is unlikely to happen in a woman's own neighborhood.
Filler Questions
1.	Most rapists are not caught by the police.
2.	All women should have access to self-defense classes.
3.	It is preferable that a female police officer conduct the questioning when a woman reports rape.

The Rape-Supportive Attributions Scale is a measurement system consisting of four questions that assess an individual's false beliefs about rape (Monson et al. 2000; Monson et al. 1996; Bridges 1991). The measurement system was developed specifically for the situation described in the narratives used in this study. The indicators are given in Table 6.11, where it should be noted that in the original research the perpetrator was named “Kevin” and the victim was named “Jenny” instead of using the identifiers perpetrator and victim. This was done to reduce bias. The Sex-Role Stereotypical Victim Attributions Scale is a measurement system consisting of four questions that also assesses an individual's false beliefs about rape (Monson et al. 2000; Monson et al. 1996; Bridges 1991). The indicators are given in Table 6.12. This measurement system comes from the same research as the Rape-Supportive Attributions Scale. Individual responses were recorded for each of these scales using a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (minimal) to 7 (extremely). The research mentions conceptualization and internal consistency reliability, but validity is not mentioned in these sources.

Table 6.11 The Rape-Supportive Attributions Scale (Monson 2000)

1.	How violent do you feel this situation was?
2.	How psychologically damaged do you feel “Jenny” will be from this experience?
3.	To what degree were “Kevin’s” actions a violation of “Jenny’s” rights?
4.	How certain are you that this incident would be considered rape?

Table 6.12 The Sex-Role Stereotypical Victim Attributions Scale (Monson 2000)

1.	How much control did “Jenny” have in this situation?
2.	How much did “Jenny” enjoy this situation?
3.	How obligated was “Jenny” to engage in sexual relations in this case?
4.	How interested was “Jenny” in having sexual relations?

The measurement systems used for this research project appear to have gone through many of the processes required to establish a well conceptualized, valid, and reliable measurement system. In particular, the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale has been extensively tested and has become a standard assessment tool in this area. The lack of validation for the remaining two measurement systems is less of an issue as these two systems are used less extensively in the research, and it is possible that validation is addressed in research not cited within the research project.