Judging Women and Defining Crime: Police Officers’ Attitudes Toward Women and Rape

Research demonstrates a positive relationship between public attitudes toward women and rape myth acceptance. Little is known about whether this relationship also exists within police culture. The current study assesses the relationship between police officers' attitudes toward women and their attitudes toward rape. The effect of educational attainment on these attitudes is also assessed. A survey was administered to 891 police officers from two states in the southeastern United States. There was a significant difference on measures of modern sexism and the acceptance of rape myths with varying levels of educational attainment.