societal Views of Rape
Recently, rape survivors have been accused of provoking the assault by their appearance or behavior or merely by being present in a secluded area. This neomedieval concept of rape portrays a woman as a temptress preying on men's susceptibility to passion, destroying their always tenuous control, until she "gets what she is asking for."
Rape has also been portrayed as a universal female fantasy the secret dream of every American girl. Sudden attack, physical abuse, and the threat to her life were believed to "turn her on." Actually, rape appears to be the fantasy of some men. Malamuth (1981) asked male stu dents at the University of California whether they would rape a woman if they knew they would not be caught and punished. Approximately 35% of the men interviewed said they might.