Effects of Gender and Specific Dating Behaviors on Perceptions of Sex Willingness and Date Rape

Abstract

This study evaluated how heterosexual men and women perceived specific dating behaviors and how their attitudes toward the behaviors related to willingness to engage in sexual intercourse and date rape. Responses were analyzed according to the subject's gender and gender role identity, as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). All participants (N=458) received a questionnaire where "who asked?" and "who paid?" for the date were varied. Subjects indicated how much they thought the woman and man in the scenario wanted sex (female sex willingness and male sex willingness, respectively) and how justified the man in the scenario would be to have sex with the woman without her consent (rape justifiability). Female sex willingness was highest when the woman asked and/or paid for the date, and male sex willingness was highest when the man asked and/or paid for the date. Men's ratings of both the woman's and the man's sex willingness were consistently higher than the women's ratings. Gender role identity did not significantly affect the subjects' perceptions of sex willingness or rape justifiability. Finally, the subjects' gender, "who paid?", or "who asked?" did not affect rape justifiability ratings. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 1992. Copyright © 1992 by Guilford Publications) Date Rape Rape Causes Adult Perceptions Adult Female Adult Male Male Perceptions Female Perceptions Gender Differences Sexual Assault Perceptions Sexual Assault Causes Dating Violence Perceptions Dating Violence Causes Violence Against Women 12-99