Yahoo News Majority of men believe women more likely to be sexually assaulted if wearing revealing clothes, study suggests
A majority of men in the UK think a woman is more likely to be sexually harassed or assaulted if she wears revealing clothes, new research suggests.
An exclusive survey conducted for The Independent found 55 per cent of men believed that “the more revealing the clothes a woman wears, the more likely it is that she will be harassed or assaulted”.
The research by polling company D-CYFOR found men are markedly more likely to hold this view than women – with 41 per cent of female respondents subscribing to the view that revealing clothing invites unwanted sexual advances.
The research was based on a sample of 1,104 adults and was weighted to be representative of the UK population.
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, which runs a free 24-hour helpline for people who have been sexually assaulted, said the findings illustrated how deeply entrenched victim-blaming is in society.
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UK news in pictures
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Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson seen on the big screen as he addresses a protest over the BBC's Panorama programme outside the BBC in MediaCityUK, Salford
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A girl takes a photo of her dog with daffodils in St James's Park in London
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3/50 21 February 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and the party's Shadow Secretary of State for Departing the European Union Keir Starmer leave a meeting with European Union Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels
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Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, (middle row, left to right) Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey, (front row, left to right) Sarah Woollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan, following a press conference for the Independent Group where the three Conservative MPs, Woollaston, Allen and Soubry, announced their resignation from the party
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5/50 19 February 2019
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6/50 18 February 2019
MP Chuka Umunna speaks during the announcement of his resignation, along with a group of six other Labour MPs, including, Luciana Berger, Mike Gapes, Angela Smith, Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey and Gavin Shuker and who will be known as the Independent Group
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7/50 17 February 2019
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Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest over BP and Iraq at the British Museum in London, Britain
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12/50 12 February 2019
Young members of Britain's opposition Labour party write on a billboard why they want Jeremy Corbyn the party leader to back a "People's Vote" second referendum on Britain's European Union membership, during a publicity stunt in Islington North, Corbyn's north London constituency. The event was organized Tuesday by "For our Future's Sake" (FFS), a nationwide group of students and young people working to stop Brexit, with the billboard provided by "Led By Donkeys" a remain supporting group using online crowd funding to pay for billboard space to put up posters highlighting quotes on Brexit made by politicians and organizations.
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14/50 10 February 2019
Olivia Colman with her Bafta award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for 'The Favourite' at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall. The Favourite took home seven awards during the night
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15/50 9 February 2019
Dwain Chambers made his sprint comeback in the 60m event at the British Indoor Championships. The 40-year-old came in second during his heat with a time of 6.78 however after a false start and a disqualification in the semi-final he failed to progress any further. The qualifying time for next month's European Indoor Championships in Glasgow is 6.60 seconds
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A model during a photo call for fashion presentation Fashion in Motion: Inspired by Christian Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London
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17/50 7 February 2019
President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker receives Prime Minister Theresa May, in the VIP corner of The Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The EU and UK have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find "a way through” the deadlock in Westminster, following her visit
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18/50 6 February 2019
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19/50 5 February 2019
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20/50 4 February 2019
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21/50 3 February 2019
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after attending a Sunday church service in Maidenhead
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22/50 2 February 2019
Owen Farrell celebrates as he walks down the tunnel after England beat Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
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23/50 1 February 2019
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24/50 31 January 2019
A person walks past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far as the cold snap continues to cause icy conditions across the country
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25/50 30 January 2019
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26/50 29 January 2019
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27/50 28 January 2019
A Union flag flies from a pole in front of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Despite the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, Britain is no closer to knowing the end result of its vote to leave the European Union. A raft of amendments to be voted on by MPs on Tuesday threaten to further muddy the waters as the clock ticks down to Britain's scheduled departure from the EU on March 29
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28/50 27 January 2019
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29/50 26 january 2019
Michael Russell, the Scottish government's minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations attends a Rally for Europe at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. With only two months to go until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, people attended the rally to listen to speakers as they called for Brexit to be halted and for a second people’s vote to take place.
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30/50 25 January 2019
Former engineers Derek Mack (left) and Mike Kelloway, both from the Isle of Wight, inside the remains of the Black Arrow projectile, the UK's only rocket to successfully launch a satellite into orbit, are unveiled at a storage facility in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, after almost 50 years languishing in the Australian Outback
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31/50 24 January 2019
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32/50 23 January 2019
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33/50 22 January 2019
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34/50 21 January 2019
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35/50 20 January 2019
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36/50 19 January 2019
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Angela Christofilou/The Independent
37/50 18 January 2019
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38/50 17 January 2019
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39/50 16 January 2019
Theresa May speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons the day after her Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament
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40/50 15 January 2019
Police monitor Brexit protesters outside the houses of parliament in London. Parliamentarians are voting on the postponed Brexit EU Withdrawal Agreement, commonly known as The Meaningful Vote, deciding on Britain's future relationship with the European Union
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41/50 14 January 2019
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42/50 13 January 2019
British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.
EPA
43/50 12 January 2019
Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the 'Gilets Jaunes' or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament
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44/50 11 January 2019
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45/50 10 January 2019
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46/50 9 January 2019
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47/50 8 January 2019
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48/50 7 January 2019
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49/50 6 January 2019
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Elliott List celebrates after scoring Gillingham's first goal during the FA Cup third round match between against Cardiff City at Priestfield Stadium. The League One side went on to knock the Premier League out of the competition
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Noeline Blackwell, head of the centre, said: “There is an assumption – not borne out by any evidence – that the way a woman dresses is likely to lead to rape or sexual assault.
“We know that people are raped wearing a variety of clothing. The idea that a woman who goes out scantily clad will be pounced on is the most common myth across generations. They could be in their jeans, school uniform, or pyjamas.”
She added: “We blame [victims] and we ask them what they could have done to prevent it,” she added. “Maybe it is as old as time. In the Bible, the first thing Adam said to God was, ‘Women tempted me’.”
Rape Crisis describes rape as an act of violence and control – adding that the “perceived ‘attractiveness’ of a victim has very little to do with it”.
For the majority of female victims of rape, the offender was a partner or ex-partner (45 per cent) or someone who was known to them other than as a partner or family member (38 per cent), according to the Office for National Statistics. Some 13 per cent of female victims reported the offender as a stranger.
Dr Hannah Bows, of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse at Durham University, said: “It is very depressing people think this despite awareness-raising campaigns from rape crisis centres and the police trying to dispel myths around rape.
“I am frustrated we have not made more progress. You are always going to get a pocket of society that does not have a full understanding but you would hope these myths would not be so prevalent by now.”
She added: “The research demonstrates we have a fundamental misunderstanding about causes of rape. It is not about biological urges. It is about violence against women and control of women and that is why most sexual violence happens in the home with people they know. It is not what about you wear.”
In September 2018, figures revealed that the number of rape cases being brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had plummeted to the lowest in a decade, despite an increase in the number of incidents reported to police. The CPS charged 849 fewer defendants in 2017-18 than the previous year – a 23.1-per-cent fall.
Last December, MPs warned specific support services for victims could cease to exist due to a simultaneous lack of funding and a rise in the number of people needing help. A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual Violence said sexual assault victims have waited up to 14 months for counselling because specialist support services are finding it difficult to keep up with “unprecedented demand”.
