A new study has revealed an ‘alarming’ proportion of people are confused about what is considered rape and ‘myths about rape are still very common.’
A third of males and 21% of females said it would not usually be considered rape if a woman had flirted on a date.
Also a third of people surveyed for the End Violence Against Women coalition said there had to be physical violence for it to be a rape.
More than a third of over-65s do not regard non-consensual sex in marriage or a relationship as rape, compared with 16% of people aged 16 to 24.
And 42% of over 65s said if sexual activity continues after a woman changes her mind it is not rape, compared with 22% of the 25-49s. 3,922 people were surveyed for this study.
Rachel Krys, EVAW co-director, added: “These figures are alarming because they show that a huge proportion of UK adults, who make up juries in rape trials, are still very unclear about what rape is.
“Confusion and myths about rape are still very common and this could explain why it’s hard for juries to make fair decisions if they don’t understand or agree with our laws on rape.”
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