Previous research found that men attribute more blame to rape victims than do women; men also attribute less blame to perpetrators. In rape situations with a male perpetrator and a female victim, the roles of perpetrator and victim are confounded with gender category.To determine whether men are more lenient toward perpetrators or toward other males, the present study examined attributions of blame in scenarios that varied the gender category of both perpetrator and victim. Results showed that men's and women's attributions of blame to perpetrators were based on the role that was enacted, rather than gender per se: Men attributed less blame to perpetrators than did women, regardless of the perpetrator's gender category, indicating that men were more lenient toward perpetrators than were women. In addition, when the victim was female, the perpetrator was blamed more and the victim was blamed less than when the victim was male.Men have been found to attribute more blame to rape victims than have women. In addition, men are often less negative in their views of rapists in comparison to women (Shaver's (1 970) defensive attribution theory, individuals are more likely to blame those whose personal characteristics are dissimilar to their own. This serves a self-protective fimction because individuals can reassure themselves that they are not responsible for negative events. According to the theory, when attributing blame in a rape situation, men see themselves as being more similar to the male rapist than to the female victim. As a result, men attribute less blame to the rapist and more blame to the victim. By contrast, women, who identify with the female victim, are hesitant to stigmatize themselves by holding the victim responsible. Consequently, they are less likely

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This paper integrates research findings on status and the gender stereotyped personality traits and examines the extent to which women's lower status than men can account for two components of gender stereotyping in the United States: the belief that women and men have different personality traits and the differences in men's and women's perceptions of their own personality traits. In addition, it examines the extent to which status affects the evaluations associated with both genders' self-perceived traits. Personality traits include the instrumental-assertive and expressive attributes that have been the focus of most theory and research, in addition to the instrumental-dominating, complaining, submissive, and bipolar attributes. Formulations involving the link with status are presented for each of these personality attributes.