82.4% of respondents justify rape: research

82. 86.2% of men and 78.9% of women are inclined to justify rape, citing a separate reason
for the victim, according to the 2016 United Nations Population Fund Survey of Men and
Gender Equality in Armenia. 1600 RA citizens in Yerevan and regions, 18-59 age groups
participated in the survey.

According to experts, the results of the survey, without exaggeration, are stunning. 4 out of
every 5 respondents agree with at least one statement that justifies rape…

When a woman is raped, she usually does something to put herself in that situation –
40.9% of men and 24.2% of women think so;

In some cases of rape, women actually want it to happen, with 44.0% of men and
28.6% of women believing it to happen;

Unless a woman physically reverses, it cannot be asserted that the incident is a rape –
61.3% of men and 58.4% of women think;

In case of any rape it is necessary to find out whether the victim had accidental sexual
intercourse or bad reputation, as believe 64.4% of men and 61.0% of women;
Survey data shows that, as far as the first two allegations are concerned, the percentage of
male respondents who are victims of rape is 1.5-2 times higher than female respondents.

However, every fourth woman in the interview blames the victim. Overall, according to one
or more allegations justifying rape, the percentage of male and female respondents is
extremely high (86.2% and 78.9%, respectively).

The results of the study show that the respondents actually disregard the fact that rape is a
very traumatic experience for the victim. Attention is drawn to the culpability of the abuser
and the unacceptability of rape against a woman.

The majority of respondents agree with the assertion that "If a woman does not respond, it
cannot be asserted that it was rape" (59.8%) and "In any case of rape it is necessary to find out
whether the victim is engaged in casual sex or not bad ”(62.7%). These interviewees do not
know or do not want to accept the simple truth that sexual intercourse without consent is
actual violence and that in such circumstances sexual relations are considered rape.
Such “patriarchal” stereotypes, rooted in this kind, are certainly dangerous and misleading to
younger generations. As strange as it may seem, although rape is an extreme form of sexual
violence against women (and, moreover, sexual intercourse is a sensitive issue for patriarchal
norms and mentality), many respondents take a rather forgiving stance. In any case, they
appear to be more tolerant in this regard than in the case of physical violence against women,
ignoring the fact that rape is usually accompanied by physical violence.

The proportion of young people who agree with rape allegations is in fact the same as the
older generation. This means that the mechanism for reproducing and transmitting violence-related stereotypes still operates on the same scale. Overall, the respondents’ educational
attitudes show what proportion of them are willing to justify rape and blame the female
victim, the higher the level of education, the lower the percentage of those who justify rape.
This is especially true in higher education.

Marital status and gender dis-aggregated data show that male respondents are generally less
likely to justify violence than unmarried / civilly married men, and most divorced / divorced
men. The smallest share of those who agreed with the assertions of the survey respondents
were residents of Yerevan. Distributed employment data shows that the lowest proportion of
male respondents is students.