Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Turkish University Students' Attitudes Toward Rape

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study we investigated the effects of gender and gender roles upon attitudes toward rape among 432 female and 368 male college students in Turkey whose mean age was 22.08 (SD = 2.09). The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and measures of attributions toward date rape and stranger rape, and myths scenarios were used. All 3 scenarios were given to each participant. It was hypothesized that women would attribute less responsibility than men would to the rape victim, more responsibility to the assailant, and describe the assault as a serious crime. Women and men who have masculine gender roles were expected to attribute more responsibility to the rape victim and less responsibility to the assailant and show higher tolerance of the assault than would those in the other classified gender roles. Both men and women were expected to attribute more responsibility to the victim of a date rape and less responsibility to the date rape assailant and show higher tolerance of date rape than stranger rape. Results indicated that gender, but not gender role, was an important factor in Turkish college students' attitudes toward date rape. Women and men shared a similar point of view on stranger rape, but date rape was considered less serious than stranger rape. Gender role was not a significant factor in attitudes toward rape.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akvardar, Y., & Yuksel, S. (1993). Cinsel tecavüze uğrayan kişilere karşı alınan tavır [Attitudes toward rape victims]. Nöropsikiyatri Arşivi, 30, 347-351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 42, 155-162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blumberg, M. L., & Lester, D. (1991). High school and college students' attitudes toward rape. Adolescence, 26, 727-729.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brady, E. C., Chrisler, J. C., Hosdale, D. C., Osowiecki, D. M., & Veal, T. A. (1991). Date rape, expectations, avoidance strategies, and attitudes toward victims. Journal of Social Psychology, 13, 427-429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, A. W., Fawcett, J., Hazelwood, R. R., & Grant, C. A. (1995). Victim care services and the comprehensive sexual assesment tool. In R. H. Hazelwood & A. W. Burgess (Eds.), Rape investigation (2nd ed., pp. 263-272). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, M. R. (1980). Cultural myths and supports for rape. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 217-230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, M. R., & Albin, R. S. (1981). Rape myths, rape definitions, and probability of conviction. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 11, 212-230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caron, S. L., & Carter, D. B. (1997). The relationships among sex role orientation, egalitarianism, attitudes toward sexuality, and attitudes toward violence against women. Journal of Social Psychology, 137, 568-587.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costin, F., & Kaptanoğlu, C. (1993). Beliefs about rape and women's social roles: A Turkish replication. European Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 327-330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deitz, S. R., Blackwell, K. T., Daley, P., & Bentley, B. J. (1982). Measurement of empathy toward rape victims and rapists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 372-384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dökmen, Z. (1991). Bem cinsiyet rolü envanterinin geçerlilik ve güvenilirlik çalişmasi [Validity and reliability study of Bem Sex Role Inventory in Turkey]. Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi, 35, 81-89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, S. F. M., & Gilchrist, V. J. (1993). Sexual assault. Primary Care, 20, 359-373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dye, E., & Roth, S. (1990). Psychotherapists' knowledge about and attitudes toward sexual assault victim clients. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 14, 191-212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman-Summers, S., & Palmer, G. C. (1980). Rape as viewed by judges, prosecutors, and police officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 7, 19-40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gise, L., & Paddison, P. (1988). Rape, sexual abuse, and its victim. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 11, 629-648.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gölge, Z. B., Yavuz, M. F., & Günay, Y. (1999). İIgili meslekten kişilerin ırza geçme ile ilgili tutum ve inanışları [Related professions' attitudes and beliefs concerning rape]. Nöropsikiyatri Arşivi, 36, 146-153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, E. R., Howard, J. A., & Boezio, S. L. (1986). Tolerance of rape: A sexist or antisocial attitude? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 10, 101-118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heise, L. L. (1993). Reproductive freedom and violence against women: Where are the intersections? Journal of Law and Medical Ethics, 21, 206-216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilpatrick, D. G., Edmunds, C. N., & Seymour, A. (1992). Rape in America: A report to the nation. Arlington, VA: National Victim Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, M. P., Gidyez, C. A., & Wisniewski, N. (1987). The scope of rape: Incidence and prevalence of sexual aggression and victimization in a national sample of higher education students. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, 1987, 162-170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ledoux, J. C., & Hazelwood, R. R. (1985). Police attitudes toward rape. Journal of Police Science Administration, 1985, 85-97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. B., & Cheung, F. M. (1991). The Attitudes Toward Rape Victims Scale: Reliability and validity in a Chinese context. Sex Roles, 24, 599-603.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linden, J. A. (1999). Sexual assault. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America, 17, 685-697.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margolin, L., Miller, M., & Moran, P. B. (1989). When a kiss is not just a kiss: Relating violations of consent in kissing to rape myth acceptance. Sex Roles, 20, 231-243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Money, J. (1987). Male and female homosexuality: Psychological approaches. Washington, DC: Hemisphere.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muehlenhard, C. L., Friedman, D. E., & Thomas, C. M. (1985). Is date rape justifiable? The effects of dating activity, who initiated, who paid, and men's attitudes toward women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 9, 297-310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muehlenhard, C. L., & Linton, M. A. (1987). Date rape and sexual agression in dating situations: Incidence and risk factors. Journal of Counselling and Psychology, 14, 186-196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quackenbush, M. (1989). A comparison of androgynous, masculine sex typed, and undifferentiated males on dimensions of attitudes toward rape. Journal of Research in Personality, 23, 318-342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randall, M., & Haskell, L. (1995). Sexual violence in women's lives: Findings from the Women's Safety Project, a community-based survey. Violence against Women, 3, 6-31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rando, R. A., Rogers, J. R., & Brittan-Powell, C. S. (1998). Gender role conflict and college men's sexually aggressive attitudes and behavior. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 20, 359-369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Resick, P. A., & Jackson, T. L. (1981). Attitudes toward rape among mental health professionals. American Journal of Community Psychology, 9, 481-489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, L. J. (1992). Perceptions of single and multiple incident rape. Sex Roles, 26, 97-100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scully, D. (1990). Understanding sexual violence: A study of convicted rapists. London: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shotland, R. L. (1989). A model of the causes of date rape in developing and close relationships. In C. Hendrick (Ed.), Close relationships (pp. 247-270). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szymanski, L. A., Devlin, A. S., Chrisler, J. C., & Vyse, S. A. (1993). Gender role and attitudes toward rape in male and female college students. Sex Roles, 29, 37-57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkish Ministry of Justice. (1999). Justice statistics of Turkey. Ankara: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, C., Newlon, B., Krahe, B., Myambo, K., Payne, M., Tastaban, Y., et al. (1998). The Attitudes toward Rape Victims Scale: Psychometric data from 14 countries. Social and Behavioral Sciences Documents 18, 2877.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, C. A. (1995). Attitudes toward rape: Feminist and social psychological perspectives. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, M. A., & Resick, P. A. (1979, August). Relationships between attitudes toward rape and sex-role perception. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.

  • Warshaw, R. (1988). I never called it rape. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinberg, M. S., Lottes, I. L., & Shaver, F. M. (1995). Swedish or American heterosexual college youth: Who is more permissive? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 24, 409-437.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Z. Belma Gölge & M. Fatih Yavuz

  2. Department of Psychology, Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Selin Müderrisoglu

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey

    M. Sunay Yavuz

Authors
  1. Z. Belma Gölge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Fatih Yavuz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Selin Müderrisoglu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Sunay Yavuz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Z. Belma Gölge.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gölge, Z.B., Yavuz, M.F., Müderrisoglu, S. et al. Turkish University Students' Attitudes Toward Rape. Sex Roles 49, 653–661 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000003135.30077.a4

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000003135.30077.a4

Search

Navigation