Persons Who Fear Freedom and Equality Are the Ones Who Most Blame Women Who are Victims of Acquaintance Rape

Violence Against Women. 2021 May;27(6-7):731-747. doi: 10.1177/1077801220909896. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Abstract

This study analyzes whether the degree of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation influence the blame placed on a woman who is the victim of an acquaintance rape. The participants read a rape scenario and responded to three questionnaires about the blame of the victim, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance. The results show that greater blame was attributed to the victim when the participants scored high in right-wing authoritarianism or social dominance. They also reveal an interaction between both variables: participants who scored high in both right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance attributed the greatest blame to the victim.

Keywords: authoritarianism; ideology; rape; social dominance; violence.

MeSH terms

  • Authoritarianism
  • Crime Victims*
  • Fear
  • Female
  • Freedom
  • Friends
  • Humans
  • Rape*
  • Social Perception