by John Kapenekakis

Created on: November 13, 2009   Last Updated: November 15, 2009

What are the myths about rape? Can we explain the existence of these myths?A few people have given us definitions of rape myths. Here's a good one: "generalized and false beliefs about sexual assault that trivialize a sexual assault or suggest that a sexual assault did not occur."

The British Journal of Sociology said in 1963 that a myth "does not mean an untrue or impossible tale, but a tale which is told to justify some aspect of social order or of human experience." Excellent!

Four major rape myths have existed for hundreds, or thousands, of years.

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Myth # 1: Rape Is Not Serious / Forced Sex Is Not Always Rape

Thousands of years ago, the powers-that-be decided that forcible rape is not really a crime. Under ancient Hebrew law, the punishment for a man who raped an unmarried virgin was to marry her and give 50 shekels to her father. How much have we progressed since then? Less than you might think.

In the 1980s, the Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center surveyed 1700 middle-school students. About 60% of them thought it was all right for a man to force sex on his girlfriend if they had been dating at least six months.

In a telephone survey of Oklahoma women from 2001 to 2003, nearly one-fourth agreed that rape is not really a violent crime.

However, it is now widely accepted that a man can rape his wife. Only 3% of 5000 Australians surveyed in 1992 thought that rape cannot take place in a marriage.

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Myth # 2: The Victim Was Responsible

Since ancient times, some societies have punished the victim as well as the rapist. The penalty could be extra harsh if the rape victim was married.

The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi stated that when a man raped a married woman, both of them must be bound and thrown into a river (the victim's husband could save her, or let her drown). Ancient Hebrew law showed no mercy; a married rape victim was stoned to death.

We have advanced since then. In a 2008 poll in Ireland, the vast majority placed the blame for rape squarely on the rapist, but a disturbingly high 5% to 10% placed ALL the blame on the victim in the following situations:

(5%) she was wearing sexy or revealing clothing;

(5%) she went home with a man;

(8%) she was drunk or had taken illegal drugs;

(9%) she was walking home through a dangerous or deserted area;

(10%) she flirted extensively with the man;

(10%) she has had many sexual partners.

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Myth # 3: Women Often Lie About Rape

Women do occasionally lie about sexual assaults,

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