Patricia M. Fabiano, PhD; H. Wesley
Perkins, PhD; Alan Berkowitz, PhD; Jeff Linkenbach, EdD; Christopher Stark, MS,
2003, “Engaging Men as Social Justice
Allies in Ending Violence Against Women: Evidence for a Social Norms Approach,”
Journal of American College Health, VOl 52, No. 3, pp. 105-112. The field of sexual assault
prevention is shifting attention to educational interventions that address the
role of men in ending violence against women. Recent studies document the
often-misperceived norms men hold about other men's endorsement of
rape-supportive attitudes and behaviors. The authors provide further evidence
supporting the design of population-based social norms interventions to prevent
sexual assault. Data from this study suggest that men underestimate the
importance that most men and women place on consent and willingness of most men
to intervene against sexual violence. In addition, men's personal adherence to
only consensual activity and their willingness to act as women's allies are
strongly influenced by their perceptions of other men's and women's norms.
These findings support
the
proposition that accurate normative data, which counters the misperception of
rape-supportive environments, can be a critical part of comprehensive campus
efforts to catalyze and support men's development as women's social justice
allies in preventing sexual violence against women.