Exploring the Role of Aggressor’s Social Class in Rape and Its Relation to Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to analyze whether the social class of the aggressor and the degree of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance influence the blaming of the victim in a case of rape suffered by a woman. Participating in the study was a sample of 216 university students (82 men and 136 women). The participants read a rape scenario in which the aggressor’s social class was manipulated (high social class vs. low social class) and responded to a questionnaire about the blame of the victim, a questionnaire about right-wing authoritarianism, and a questionnaire about social dominance. The results show that the victim was blamed more when the aggressor was from a low social class and when the participants had high scores in right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance. They also reflect an interaction between the social class of the aggressor and social dominance: Participants who scored high in social dominance blamed the victim more when the aggressor was from a low social class.

The Influence of Ideological Variables in the Denial of Violence Against Women: The Role of Sexism and Social Dominance Orientation in the Spanish Context

“…The scores obtained in acceptance of myths about IPVAW, measured through AMIVAW, were not high. Young Spanish university students usually show such a pattern in the results [ 43 ]. This study found that men, in comparison with women, assumed more myths about violence against women and scored higher in HS and in SDO.…”

“…This variable acts as an antecedent towards a large number of outgroups and can likewise explain the links to perception of violence toward women. Some research has pointed to the existence of a relationship between justification of sexual violence toward women and SDO [ 32 , 42 , 43 ]. According to the theory of social dominance, it is assumed to be an ideological variable that produces a general position towards intergroup relations.…”

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

“…In a recent study carried out by Canto et al (2018), participants with higher RWA and SDO scores blamed the woman who was a victim of acquaintance rape more. But there was no effect from the interaction between RWA and SDO on the blaming the victim variable, so the effect of RWA on victim blaming (VB) was not modified by SDO.…”

“…Hypothesis 1: It is expected that those participants who score higher in RWA will attribute greater blame to the rape victim. Persons who score high in RWA, in defending conventionalism and social tradition, reject the behavior of women who transgress the traditional role of women whose sexual behavior has little to do with this role (Canto et al, 2018; Süssenbach & Bohner, 2011). This failure to adhere to a certain sexual conduct, in a rape scenario where the woman allowed prior sexual contact, leads right-wing authoritarians to convert the victim into a target of authoritarian aggression and consider her deserving of this aggression.…”

“…Hypothesis 2: It is expected that those participants who score higher in SDO will attribute greater blame to the rape victim. Persons with high scores in SDO would to a greater degree accept the hierarchical superiority of men over women and rape myths, accepting the subservience of women to men as reflected in the traditional gender stereotype (Canto et al, 2018; Süssenbach & Bohner, 2011). As a result, they would be more inclined to blame a rape victim when she consented to initial sexual contact, challenging her subordinate gender role.…”