The increasing attention accorded to the issues of date rape and sexual harassment will provide the justification for a proposed research study that will investigate the function of gender as an explanatory variable in relation to differences in attitudes and values that lead to dating behaviors that culminate in sexual harassment or date rape. The literature indicates that males on the average begin dating an earlier age than do females in American society, tend to have more dating experience than do their female dating partners, and as a consequence, are more likely than are females to have established behavioral patterns that they tend to following all dating experiences regardless of who their partner may be, and without consideration for differing attitudes and values that may be held by a dating partner. The literature also indicated that males may desire for a dating partner a female who is perceived as being easily dominated. The literature indicated further that male college-level undergraduate students generally reported a belief that the sexual harassment of females was tolerable for women, that heterosexual relationships are inherently adversarial, and generally indicated a belief in the myths surround rape, such as the myth that women enjoy being raped. Female college-level undergraduate students generally held positions on these issues that were diametrically opposed to those generally expressed by male undergraduate students. The literature also indicated that male undergraduates characterized by high levels of social anxiety are likely to misinterpret the sexual intent of their female dating partners to a greater extent than such misunderstanding will occur by their female dating partners.
The hypothesis that will be tested in the proposed research study is that male college-level undergraduate students expect sexual intercourse to occur during dating encounters to a greater extent than such activity is expected...