NCJ Number
193614
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2002 Pages: 233-256
Date Published
February 2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study examined the clergy's attribution of blame in rape cases and their attitudes toward rape victims.
Abstract
As a group, clergy are among the least likely to be sought out for help by rape victims. The reason for this is, at least in part, the widespread adherence to rape myths among the clergy. Although those who scored highest on measures of sexism and religious fundamentalism had the highest levels of rape myth acceptance and victim-blaming attitudes, the majority of study participants more or less blamed the victim. The study investigated the clergy's responses to open-ended questions about rape scenarios in an attempt to gain insight into the decision-making behind their assessments of forced sexual encounters. Study findings strongly supported the hypothesis that the more sexist and religiously fundamentalist clergy's attitudes were, the more negative were their attitudes toward rape victims and the more they would blame the woman for her assault. Most clergy in the study blamed the victim and fell prey to rape myths. This finding was especially important in light of the fact that 75 percent of clergy in this study report experienced counseling sexual assault victims. The study suggests the need to educate the clergy about sexual assault and its victims in an awareness program that reviews the religious beliefs, value systems, and experiences that play a role in clergy's attitudes. Tables, appendix, note, references