The stereotype of masculinity shapes our views on rape
People with traditional ideas about masculinity are often reluctant to consider sexual violence as such. Even in cases of obvious rape, stereotypes of male behavior can confuse both witnesses and victims as to whether what occurred was a crime. Researchers from Binghamton University (New York) came to these conclusions.
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With the help of SUNY Broome, researchers were trying to figure out why rape cases are rarely reported to the police. Both male and female students were asked to read short stories that explicitly dealt with incidents of rape. Various explanation cards (shuffled randomly) described violence by men against women, or men against men, or women against men.
At the end of the experiment, they had to answer two questions about what they had read:
- Whose fault is it that happened?
- How would the participant himself behave if he spoke on behalf of the victim?
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Male and heterosexual participants were found to often blame the victim rather than the perpetrator. They also claimed that they did not consider it necessary to report the incident to the police, even if they were at the victim”s place.
Sexual violence and stereotypes
“This is because people who hold this view tend to shift the blame from the perpetrator to the victim. However, the situation is more complex. Various aspects of the male gender role may also lead to lower reporting of such crimes,” he added.
Richard said participants often make decisions about reporting rapists to police based on how blameworthy they are, rather than on the innocence of the victim.
It is also worth learning what toxic masculinity is. This is discussed in more detail in the article at the link.
