L’attribution de la responsabilité d’un acte sexuel coercitif basée sur la présence de facteurs situationnels et la propension à indiquer qu’il devrait être divulgué à police selon un échantillon étudiant
Rape myths are beliefs and misconceptions regarding rape that can have an influence on one’s attribution of responsibility towards the instigator or victim of a non-consenting sexual act. Some research has shown difference between men and women concerning their beliefs and attitudes towards rape and as well as their attribution of blame and tendency of reporting a rape case to police. Research has also shown that alcohol consumption, drug use, pornography consumption and non-consent are situational factors that influence attribution of responsibility in a rape case. The objective of this study is to examine differences in a group of male and female students from the University of Montréal in their attribution of responsibility and their propensity to report rape cases to police authorities in a given context. Specifically, this research will identify if the students interpret the rape scenarios differently when it involves alcohol or drug use, pornography consumption and non-consent. The results show that in general, the male participants attributed more often a part of the blame to the victim whereas the female participants attributed more blame towards the instigator of the sexual act. The presence of rape myths among the students is the factor that influences the most their attribution of responsibility of a sexual coercive behavior and their propensity or refusal to denunciate the situation to the police.
Rape myths Gender differences in attribution of responsability Blame Instigator Victim Police denunciation Alcohol Drugs Pornography Non-consent