Date rape and sexual aggression in dating situations: Incidence and risk factors.

In this study we assessed the incidence of and the risk factors for date rape and other forms of male-against-female sexual aggression (SA) in dating situations. Over the course of two semesters, 341 women and 294 men anonymously completed questionnaires. They were asked to describe their most recent date (to provide normative data on dating) and their worst experience with SA during a date, if applicable. We assessed possible risk factors in three ways: (a) For people who had been involved in SA, we compared the characteristics of their SA dates and their recent dates; anything occurring more often on SA dates than on recent dates might be a risk factor. (b) We compared the most recent dates of people who had versus had not experienced SA to identify differences in their date habits. (c) We compared attitudes of people who had versus had not been involved in SA. Results showed that 77.6% of the women and 57.3% of the men had been involved in some form of SA; 14.7% of the women and 7.1% of the men had been involved in unwanted sexual intercourse. Variables that appear to be risk factors are the man's initiating the date, paying all the expenses, and driving; miscommunication about sex; heavy alcohol or drug use; "parking"; and men's acceptance of traditional sex roles, interpersonal violence, adversarial attitudes about relationships, and rape myths. The length of time that dating partners have known each other seems unrelated to the risk of SA. Implications for rape-prevention programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What will he think? Men's impressions of women who initiate dates and achieve academically.

Investigated men's attitudes toward women who initiate dates vs those who do not initiate dates by crossing the dating-initiation variable with the level of intelligence a woman displayed (high vs low) in a 2?×?2 between-Ss design. After watching 1 of 4 videotapes of a man and woman conversing in which these 2 variables were crossed, 309 male undergraduates rated the videotaped woman on 53 bipolar adjectives. A factor analysis of these ratings was used to create 12 subscales. The intelligent woman, compared with the unintelligent woman, was rated as more intelligent, more likable, less sexually active, more truthful, more interesting, more flexible, more tactful, less of a casual dater, more religious, and more of a feminist. The woman who asked for a date, compared with the woman who did not, was rated as more sexually active, more of a casual dater, and more flexible and agreeable. Interactions occurred in that the intelligent woman who asked for a date was rated as most likable and more of a feminist. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do women sometimes say no when they mean yes? The prevalence and correlates of women's token resistance to sex.

We investigated whether women ever engage in token resistance to sex—saying no but meaning yes—and, if they do, what their reasons are for doing so. A questionnaire administered to 610 undergraduate women asked whether they had ever engaged in token resistance and, if so, asked them to rate the importance of 26 possible reasons. We found that 39.3% of the women had engaged in token resistance at least once. Their reasons fell into three categories: practical, inhibition-related, and manipulative reasons. Women's gender role attitudes, erotophobia–erotophilia, and other attitudes and beliefs varied as a function of their experience with token resistance and their sexual experience. We argue that, given society's sexual double standard, token resistance may be a rational behavior. It could, however, have negative consequences, including discouraging honest communication, perpetuating restrictive gender stereotypes, and—if men learn to disregard women's refusals—increasing the incidence of rape. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)