Ambivalent sexism, right wing authoritarianism and rape myth acceptance in Scotland

The study investigated the relationship between ambivalent sexism (AS), right wing authoritarianism (RWA) and rape myth acceptance (RMA) in a Scottish context. Findings revealed that benevolent (BS) and hostile sexism (HS) as well as RWA significantly predicted rape myth acceptance. Analysis of gender differences revealed that males and females performed significantly differently on all the subscales of the IRMA-SF (Payne, Lonsway and Fitzgerald, 1999) and on the HS subscale of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) (Glick and Fisk, 1996). No gender differences were found on the RWA Scale (Altemeyer, 1996) or on the BS subscale of the ASI. The findings were placed in a wider theoretical context and discussed in relation to political and policy developments in Scotland.