By Lindsey McCullough, Program Intern - Spring 2024
“What was she wearing?” “How much did she have to drink?” “Did they do something to provoke the situation?” “Did he even try to fight back?” “She must have been asking for it.” “She was sending him mixed signals.” “That would never happen to me.”
All of these statements are powerful examples of victim blaming, a very harmful and accusatory framework through which society tends to view victimizations, especially those involving sexual assault. Survivors are constantly forced to endure these lines of questioning, as people attempt to place the responsibility on the victim’s conduct rather than on the perpetrator’s.
In cases of sexual assault, victim blaming is often perpetuated by people as a way to make sense of the incident and understand why it occurred. There are two main psychological theories that aim to explain this social phenomenon. The first is Just-World Theory which suggests that people inherently believe that we live in a fair and just world, meaning people ultimately get what they deserve. In a just world, good things happen to good people, so victims of crime must have done something to contribute to their victimization (Feldman, 2018). The second is Invulnerability Theory which suggests that people view themselves as invulnerable to crime due to their positive assumptive worldview. With this mindset, when someone is victimized, people feel that could never happen to them because they do things differently than the survivor (Feldman, 2018). In any case, victim blaming is an unacceptable lens to view a survivor’s experiences through – a sexual assault survivor is never responsible for a perpetrator’s actions.
Victim blaming is an issue for all survivors, but it can be heightened on college campuses due to their unique social and cultural conditions. Research conducted among college students suggests that sexual assault and its many implications are salient issues on college campuses. About ⅕ to ¼ of female college students in the United States will be a victim of rape during their time in college (Hackman et al., 2017). One study that examined college students’ perceptions of sexual violence through interviews found that victim blaming was a theme present in every interview and focus group (Hackman et al., 2017). In these interviews, the students’ responses placed the onus on the victim to prevent their assault from occurring, excusing the offender’s behavior because a woman should know better than to get too drunk or “lead on” a man.
Additionally, it is important to recognize that intersecting identities such as one’s gender or sexuality can impact the presence of victim blaming as well. Researchers analyzed college students’ perceptions of a scenario involving rape by a male offender and either a female or male victim (Ford et al., 1998). Participants viewed the female victim to be more at fault if she identified as heterosexual and the male victim to be more at fault if he identified as homosexual (Ford et al., 1998). Through the participant’s responses, this study also supported the idea that people hold preconceived notions regarding who is a “typical” rape victim (Ford et al., 1998). Furthermore, a study conducted in 2003 had similar findings (Wakelin & Long). They found that more blame was attached to victims when their sexuality implied potential attraction to the perpetrator. Also, homophobic attitudes increased the perception of blame toward victims who were gay (Wakelin & Long, 2003). Limited data has been collected on this matter in more recent years, which could serve as a recommendation for future research.
The prevalence of victim blaming in college culture also prevents survivors from coming forward or seeking help due to the perception of inevitable ridicule. In fact, approximately 90% of campus sexual assaults go unreported (American Psychological Association [APA], 2023). Victim blaming is a barrier to receiving assistance by eliciting shame, guilt, embarrassment, confidentiality concerns, and fear of not being believed (APA, 2023). According to a 2016 study on why college students do not report their sexual battery or rape victimizations, the second most common reason was fear of being blamed or getting in trouble (Krebs et al.).
It is important for colleges and universities to create an environment that supports survivors. Researchers analyzed the correlation of rape-myth acceptance (RMA) and found that men’s endorsement of RMA was significantly higher than that of women (Suarez & Gadalla, 2010). Moreover, they found that RMA is strongly connected to hostility toward women, supporting its roots in sexism and in prejudiced views against other identities like race, class, and sexuality (Suarez & Gadalla, 2010). Students need to be conscious about the language they are utilizing and the impact that their words can have on those around them. Ultimately, the most significant change that colleges can make is increasing efforts to reduce rape culture on campus by addressing the myths and insensitivity surrounding sexual violence (Hackman et al., 2017).
One way to increase sexual assault prevention efforts on campuses includes implementing sexual assault prevention and education programs that target structural issues which cultivate oppressive and prejudiced beliefs (Suarez & Gadalla, 2010). Rape myths that tend to shift blame onto victims likely originate from society’s male-dominated nature, which consistently attempts to minimize and justify rape and sexual assault. It is important to address the oppressive beliefs and stereotypes that enable individuals to discuss sexual violence in insensitive ways. Bringing awareness to the often violent and objectifying language used to describe sex can also encourage students to rethink their word choices and understand the gravity of sexual violence.
Finally, being an active bystander can help prevent sexual violence and the subsequent victim blaming. This can include acts big and small, from stepping into a situation where someone is being harmed to simply calling out insensitive language when you hear it. Bystander intervention behavior can increase the efforts to reduce sexual violence on campus and foster a community that does not tolerate this violence (Hackman et al., 2017). This cultural shift will allow for the empowerment of survivors as offenders increasingly become held accountable for their actions, removing blame from the victims. Overall, building a campus community with a sense of connectedness can encourage people to speak out against sexual violence and speak up for survivors.
References
American Psychological Association. (2023, June). Campus sexual assault: Fact sheet from an intersectional lens. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/apags/resources/campus-sexual-assault-fact-sheet
Feldman, D. B. (2018, March 2). Why Do People Blame the Victim? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/supersurvivors/201803/why-do-people-blame-the-victim
Ford, T. M., Liwag-McLamb, M. G., & Foley, L. A. (1998). Perceptions of rape based on sex and sexual orientation of victim. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 13(2), 253–263.
Hackman, C. L., Pember, S. E., Wilkerson, A. H., Burton, W., & Usdan, S. L. (2017). Slut-shaming and victim-blaming: a qualitative investigation of undergraduate students’ perceptions of sexual violence. Sex Education, 17(6), 697–711. DOI: 10.1080/14681811.2017.1362332
Krebs, C., Lindquist, C., Berzofsky, M., Shook-Sa, B., Peterson, K., Planty, M., Langton, L., & Stroop, J. (2016). Campus Climate Survey Validation Study Final Technical Report (NCJ 249545). Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ccsvsftr.pdf
Suarez, E., & Gadalla, T. M. (2010). Stop blaming the victim: A meta- analysis on rape myths. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(11), 210-235. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0886260509354503
Wakelin, A., & Long, K. M. (2003). Effects of victim gender and sexuality on attributions of blame to rape victims. Sex Roles, 49(9–10), 477–487. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-08456-006
