Stepping on toes: Social roots of date rape lead to intractability and politicization
Argues, using both qualitative and quantitative findings, that abundant rape-supportive environments encourage sexually aggressive men to act on their impulses and discourage women from reporting experiences in which they feel they were victimized. To support this perspective, the authors examine the ease with which coercive beliefs and aggressive behaviors fit within our cultural understanding of sexuality, and discuss the social context in which the potentially sexually aggressive man lives, considering the mediating role played by peer-group support.