Student acceptance and expectation of sexual assault

Male and female students' attitudes regarding the acceptance and expectatio n of sexual assault were examined. Participants also completed Burt's (1980 ) Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA) Scale. Acceptance of sexual aggression can lea d to the exoneration of the perpetrator, whereas expectations of sexual agg ression can lead to victim blaming. A feminist perspective of rape, with a focus on sexual socialization, indicates that rape myth beliefs deny or jus tify male sexual aggression against women. Therefore, it was predicted and found that high RmA participants expected and accepted more sexual assault than low RMA participants. Sexual assault was also expected more often than it was accepted, suggesting that these judgments are made separately.