In "The Role of Woman's Explanations for Refusal on Men's Ability to Discriminate Unwanted Sexual Behavior in a Date Rape Scenario," Victoria Van Wie and Alan Gross indicate that approximately 15% of college women have been forced into sexual intercourse by a date. They advocate that women need to be aware of this serious social problem. Although both men and women are capable of recognizing sexual refusal behaviors, misperception of sexual intent between individuals has been an important factor in date rape - nonconsensual sex that occurs between two people who are dating. The content of women's refusal and level of intimacy at which they present, affect how seriously men take on the refusals.
             Therefore, by examining situational and victim variables in date rape situations, Van Wie and Gross argue that women hold some responsibility for allowing themselves to become the victims because they often do not establish sexual ground rules early in relationships. According to their study, if women present the refusal at a low intimacy level, "the negotiability of the relationship can be decreased" significantly (341). This action may prevent men from further guessing on their partner's intention, decreasing the likelihood of an alternative interpretation of "No." Van Wie and Gross also note that the intention of the study is not to place blame for the assault upon women. Instead, the study empowers and educates women by allowing them to take appropriate steps to reduce the probability of becoming victims.
             Michael Milburn et al take a different approach in "The Effects of Viewing R-rated Movie Scenes That Objectify Women on Perceptions of Date Rape." They argue that "exposure to scenes from R-rated movies that contain sexual content and also present women in an objectified or degrading way" alters the way men perceive date rape, lessening their perception of the...