Blame of Rape Victims and Perpetrators in China: The Role of Gender, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Situational Factors

Rape victims are frequently blamed for their own victimization, which adds to their psychological distress. However, Chinese scholars have generally not paid attention to the public’s attitudes toward, and attributions for, rape. In this study, we explored the effects of gender, rape myth acceptance, and situational factors (victim-perpetrator relationship, victim resistance, victim reporting) on rape attributions among Chinese observers. A sample of 1,011 participants from the Chinese community completed a series of questionnaires after reading one of 12 vignettes. Our results indicated that the relationship between gender and victim blame was moderated by reporting and suppressed by rape myth acceptance, while the relationship between gender and perpetrator blame was mediated by rape myth acceptance. In addition, both higher rape myth acceptance and non-stranger rape can increase victim blame and decrease perpetrator blame. We also found interactions between rape myth acceptance and resistance and between reporting and the victim-perpetrator relationship. These results suggest that it is critical to investigate the complex interplay between individual and situational factors that influence rape attributions. Rape attributions showed both cross-cultural consistency and patterns unique to the Chinese context, and our evidence provides ideas for reducing the negative social reaction of the public to rape victims.