societalSocietal 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 con- cept 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 be- lieved 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.