Judged Effectiveness of Common Rape Prevention and Self-Defense Strategies

Abstract

All women face the threat of rape, forcing them to (a) decide what to do to reduce their chances of being assaulted (rape prevention) and (b) how to defend themselves if assaulted (self-defense). A principal basis for such decisions should be women's estimates of the effectiveness of possible prevention and self-defense strategies for reducing the risk of rape. This study examined effectiveness judgments, using an explicit quantitative scale for expressing effectiveness. Participants included three diverse groups of women (differing in age, family situation, and socioeconomic status), one group of men, and a group of sexual assault experts. Effectiveness judgments were elicited for 16 prevention strategies and 14 self-defense strategies that were mentioned most frequently in a previous open-ended questionnaire. All five groups judged these prevention strategies to be highly effective, women more so than both men and sexual assault experts. Possible bases for these apparently unrealistically high estimates are discussed. There was much greater variability in judgments for the self-defense strategies, but the respondent groups generally agreed with each other and with available statistical estimates of effectiveness.