Sexism, Religion, And Politics: An Examination Of Rape Myth Acceptance

Abstract

The literature is inconclusive about the relationship between religion, politics, sexism, rape myth acceptance, and the behavioral implications of the latter. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop an understanding of the relationship between religion, political affiliation, sexism, and rape myth acceptance. The study utilized primary data collection through surveys of youth using MTurk. The survey involved the administration of the Faith Activities Scale, Moral Foundations Scale, Religious Fundamentalism Scale, Modern Sexism Scale, Ambivalent Sexism Scale, Gender Stereotypes Scale, and the Gender Inclusive Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling to indicate which political affiliations and major US religious adherence predicted various gender stereotypes or sexist beliefs which were also predictive of rape myth acceptance. It was expected that those youth who described being more religious and conservative politically would evidence more sexism and in turn, rape myth acceptance. Although previous research indicated that those who identified as Republican often held stronger rape myth acceptance compared to Democrats (Conroy, 2019; NRP, 2019), the current study did not support these results. Possibly, the results of this study may be attributed to its narrow demographic, or that more young adults are becoming less affiliated with their parents’ religion and political beliefs systems and are thinking differently from them on these issues. Nevertheless, the findings offer implications for correcting gender miseducation amongst youth toward holding perpetrators accountable, encouraging victims to pursue justice, and reducing instances of sexual victimization in religious organizations. Keywords: juvenile, sexual assault, religious affiliation, political affiliatio