An Exploration into the Acceptance of Male Rape Myths within the UK

Abstract

Rape is worldwide issue with no demographic constraint, and previous studies have explored how rape myths serve to justify sexual violence against women at the hands of men. However, this study aims to bridge the gap in the literature that fails to account for rape myths that do not follow the traditional script. 65 UK university students completed measures of rape myth acceptance and ambivalent sexism to investigate the factors associated with supporting rape myths. A multiple regression indicated that the acceptance of female rape myths predicted the acceptance of male rape myths. However, the factors involved in facilitating this acceptance differed between the genders. The findings are discussed in relation to the implications and conclude by offering directions for future research. Whilst the study is limited in some areas, such as the generalisation of findings, and the photonegative scales, it offers an interesting insight into understanding male rape myths and the factors that contribute to these attitudes within the UK.