Honors Program Theses

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Open Access Honors Program Thesis

First Advisor

Gayle Rhineberger

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between hypermasculinity, rape myth acceptance (RMA), and rape proclivity in male college students attending a mid-sized Midwestern university. This was done to uncover how aspects of traditional hegemonic gender socialization may create pathways for rape proclivity later in life. It looked at college males in particular because sexual assault is a major problem in college campuses and the main perpetrators are male. The study asked a sample of (n=48) males from the ages of 18-24 to answer a survey that included questions from the following measures: Hypermasculinity Scale, Illinois Rape Myth Accpetance Scale – Short Form, Likelihood to Rape Scale, and the Sexual Experiences Survey. This was done to determine their levels of hypermasculinity, RMA, and rape proclivity. Ultimately, 30.9% of participants' answers indicated hypermasculinity and 69.1% did not. Additionally, 21.6% of answers indicated rape myth acceptance whereas 78.4% did not. Only 2.08% of the sample indicated rape proclivity, as demonstrated through the Likelihood to Rape Scale and Sexual Experiences Survey. A moderate relationship of 0.48 with p = 0.021 was found between hypermasculinity and rape proclivity. A strong relationship of 0.80 with p = 0.015 was uncovered between RMA and rape proclivity. Given the limited sample size, research with a wider scope is necessary to determine if these results are generalizable to the general population.

Year of Submission

2023

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

University Honors Designation

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors

Date Original

5-2023

Object Description

1 PDF file (31 pages)

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