Sexual Harassment as a Determinant of Women’s Fear of Rape

Abstract

SynopsisPrevious research has revealed that women who have not been raped nevertheless show high levels of rape-related fear. This study investigated the experience of sexual harassment as a determinant of fear of rape. Twenty-one women were interviewed about their experience of, and affective reactions to, sexual harrassment. A Fear of Rape scale, designed to measure specific rape-related fear in non-clinical populations, was developed as a measure of women’s fear of rape. The experience of fear-inducing sexual harassment was found to be significantly correlated with fear of rape. Additionally, women who had experienced a likely rape situation reported significantly higher fear of rape than women who had not had such an experience. Results suggest that women generally may experience extensive sexual intimidation and that this experience may be implicated in a generalised feeling of vulnerability to rape. The Fear of Rape scale, developed for this study, may have useful applicability in future research in...