NCJ Number
177801
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 251-271
Date Published
March 1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Data from 65 rape victims were used to compare women who were raped while too drunk to resist and those raped by force to test the assertion of critics of campus rape research that this research exaggerates the statistics by labeling as rape victims those women who experience bad dates.
Abstract
The participants were seniors in 25 university classes. Sixty-five of the 388 women who completed the questionnaires reported that they were victims of an event that would be considered a felony rape under Ohio law. Thirty-five reported that they had been victims of unwanted sexual intercourse when they were helpless to resist or stop the man, whereas 30 reported that they were overcome with force or a threat of force. The women raped while too drunk to resist were not less emotionally affected than the other women and did not blame themselves more. Most women did not classify their experiences as rape, although all were victims under criminal law. Findings indicated that this lack of recognition is what causes hidden victims, who do not report the crime or seek help. Tables, notes, appended survey questions, and 46 references (Author abstract modified)