Download Illinois rape myth acceptance scale doc 59 KB

Illinois rape myth acceptance scale
Use this scale to find out about attitudes towards sexual violence, when evaluating a sexual violence
primary prevention activity.
This scale was created for the Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Toolkit in September 2016.
It was developed in the USA to evaluate beliefs about rape myths and general attitudes toward rape.
Notes:
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This is a validated scale, so you may wish to use the questions together as a set.
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Delete “at this school” or “on this campus” to suit your audience.
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People have very different understandings of the terms "rape", "unwanted sex", "forced sex", and
"sexual abuse" etc. This is especially true for young people. Make sure use a definition of sexual
violence that your participants will understand. Also be clear that sexual violence and abuse can
happen within or outside family/whānau.
Source:
Developed by Payne, D. L., Lonsway, K. A., & Fitzgerald, L. F. (1999). Rape myth acceptance: Exploration of
its structure and its measurement using the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Journal of Research in
Personality, 33, 27-68.
Researcher instructions
Make sure you remove this page of content before you give the scales to participants to complete.
Illinois rape myth acceptance scale – September 2016
Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
disagree
agree
1
Women tend to exaggerate how much rape
affects them.
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2
Many women secretly desire to be raped.
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3
Most rapists are not caught by the police.
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4
If a woman doesn't physically fight back,
you can't really call it rape.
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5
When women are raped, it's often because
the way they said "no" was ambiguous (not
clear).
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It is preferable that a female police officer
conducts the questioning when a woman
reports a rape.
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7
Rape accusations are often used as a way of
getting back at men
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8
Men from nice middle-class homes almost
never rape.
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9
It is usually only women who dress
suggestively who are raped
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10 If the rapist doesn't have a weapon, you
really can't call it rape
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11 Rape is unlikely to happen in the woman's
own familiar neighborhood.
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12 Men don't usually intend to force sex on a
woman, but sometimes they get sexually
carried away
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6
Illinois rape myth acceptance scale – September 2016
Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
disagree
agree
13 A woman who dresses in skimpy clothes
should not be surprised if a man tries to
force her to have sex.
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14 Rape happens when a man's sex drive is out
of control.
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15 A lot of women lead a man on and then
they cry rape.
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16 A woman who "teases" a man deserves
anything that might happen.
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17 Although most women wouldn't admit it,
they generally find being physically forced
into sex a real "turn-on."
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18 If a woman is raped while she is drunk, she
is at least somewhat responsible for letting
things get out of control.
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19 If a woman is willing to "make out" with a
guy, then it's not a big deal if he goes a little
further and has sex.
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Illinois rape myth acceptance scale – September 2016