Rape is a major social problem. Date rape is a type of rape in which there is a romantic
interes tor relationship between the victim and the perpetrator. Students and women
between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four represent the most prospective rape victims.
Since date rape doesn't coincide with the "real rape" prototype, society frequently
attributes more blame and responsibility on the victim of a date rape than it does on a
victim whose experience matches the "real rape" stereotype.
The study sought to ascertain whether there are statistically significant differences
between men and women's acceptance of rape myths and between Slovenian college
students' attitudes toward date rape and toward rape where there is no romantic interest
between the parties involved. To test hypotheses, a quantitative approach was adopted.
There were 581 participants in the study. Research findings demonstrate that men are
more likely to accept rape myths than women, that Slovenian students condemn the
perpetrator in a date rape scenario to a greater extent than the victim, that there are
statistically significant differences between men and women in the condemnation of a
date rapist, that Slovenian students don't show higher tolerance for date rape and rate the
act of date rape as severely as stranger rape.
One of the most alarming findings of the study is that nearly a quarter of respondents
report either having a personal experience of date rape or knowing someone with that
experience. The master's thesis highlights the importance of having a uniform definition
of date rape as well as the need to actively dispel rape myths in society. Dispelling rape
myths could also result in discouraging people from pursuing other harmful beliefs.
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