Attitudes Toward Rape Victims Scale – ARVS

A raped woman is a less desirable woman.

Most women are psychologically damaged by rape.

Most rapes are planned.

It is difficult for a man to control his sexual impulses if aroused by a seductive woman.

Women often claim rape to protect their reputations.

Each woman should be responsible for preventing her own rape.

Rapists are mentally ill.

Fear may prevent a woman from resisting rape.

Many raped women never report the incident.

Women who have had prior sexual relationships should not complain about rape.

Rape is not confined to the lower classes.

Intoxicated women are usually willing to have sexual relations.

Certain women who are too proud deserve to be raped.

Convicted rapists should receive harsh sentences.

A raped woman is usually an innocent victim.

A woman should not feel guilty if she has been raped.

The extent of the woman's resistance should be the major factor in determining if a rape has occurred.

Women do not provoke rape by their appearance or behavior.

It would do some women good to be raped.

Any female may be raped.

If a girl does not set limits on sexual behavior it is her own fault if her partner forces sexual relations on her.

Rape is a serious crime.

A married woman who has been a rape victim is a disgrace to her husband.

Women who say no in sexual relations usually mean it.

Rapists are not sexually frustrated individuals.

Rape serves as a way to keep women in their place.

A woman may be raped by a man with whom she has previously had sexual relations.

Raped women often appear calm while reporting the incident.

Most women secretly desire to be raped.

Victims should not be blamed for forcible rape.

Many women claim rape if they have consented to sexual relations but have changed their minds afterward.

Delayed reporting of rape decreases the victim's credibility.

"Good" girls are as likely to be raped as "bad" girls.

Men and women share joint responsibility in setting sexual limits in male-female relationships.

Rapists are men who are unable to control their sexual impulses.

Rape of a married woman is no more objectionable than rape of a divorced woman.

Younger girls are sometimes raped by older men they have known and trusted.

If rape involves loss of virginity it should be punished more severely.

If there were no legal or social controls on sexual behavior, most men would rape.

Bruises, scratches, broken bones and torn clothes are the real indicators of a woman's resistance to rape.

Even women who feel guilty about engaging in premarital sex are not likely to falsely claim rape.

Women who are raped while accepting rides from strangers get what they deserve.

Most charges of rape are valid.

A woman can be sexually assaulted by her husband.

Rape provides an opportunity for rapists to demonstrate their manhood.

Women who wear short skirts or tight blouses are not inviting rape.

Most women do not enjoy violence in sexual relations.

"Nice" girls are not raped.

In order to protect the accused, it should be difficult to prove that rape has occurred.

In the majority of cases, the victim is not promiscuous and does not have a bad reputation.

During a rape a woman should do everything she can to resist.

A raped woman has not been unfaithful to her husband or boyfriend.

Men, not women, are responsible for rape.

Many women invent stories of rape if they learn they are pregnant.

In most cases when a woman was raped, she deserved it.

Accusations of rape by bargirls, dance hostesses and prostitutes should be viewed with suspicion.

Rape prevention is a community responsibility.

A woman who goes out alone at night puts herself in a position to be raped.

Most rape victims do not dress provocatively.

A healthy woman can resist a rapist if she really tries.

Most rape victims are acquainted with their rapists.

Rape is not an expression of an uncontrollable desire for sex.

Many women who report rape are lying because they are angry or want revenge on the accused.

A woman's previous sexual history should not be considered in rape cases.

A woman's family does not 'lose face' if she has been raped.

Males are entitled to sexual gratification regardless of their partners' moods or feelings.

Sexually experienced women are not really damaged by rape.

Women put themselves in situations in which they are likely to be sexually assaulted because they have an unconscious wish to be raped.

A woman should not blame herself for rape.