Impact of Education on Benevolent Sexism Toward Men and Post-Rape Empathic Views in Adults

Background: Empathy towards rape victims is often influenced by gender biases, including benevolent sexism. Education plays a crucial role in shaping these attitudes.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of education on benevolent sexism toward men and post-rape empathic views in adults, with a focus on the mediating role of benevolent sexism.Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was employed, involving 120 adults recruited through non-probability convenience sampling from universities and colleges. Data were collected using the Rape-Victim Empathy Scale and the Ambivalence Toward Men Inventory. Analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25, including descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and mediation analysis.Results: Education positively correlated with post-rape empathic views (r = 0.41, p < 0.01) and negatively with benevolent sexism (r = -0.22, p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that education predicted benevolent sexism (B = -0.22, p = 0.02). Mediation analysis confirmed that benevolent sexism significantly mediated the relationship between education and post-rape empathy (Sobel t = -2.93, SE = 0.03, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Higher education levels are associated with lower benevolent sexism and greater empathy toward rape victims, highlighting the need for targeted educational interventions.