The purpose of this research was to analyze whether the social class of
the aggressor and the degree of right-wing authoritarianism and social
dominance influence the blaming of the victim in a case of rape suffered by
a woman. Participating in the study was a sample of 216 university students
(82 men and 136 women). The participants read a rape scenario in which
the aggressor’s social class was manipulated (high social class vs. low social
class) and responded to a questionnaire about the blame of the victim, a
questionnaire about right-wing authoritarianism, and a questionnaire about
social dominance. The results show that the victim was blamed more when
the aggressor was from a low social class and when the participants had
high scores in right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance. They also
reflect an interaction between the social class of the aggressor and social
dominance: Participants who scored high in social dominance blamed the
victim more when the aggressor was from a low social class.
