Hostility Toward Women and Victim Empathy in Rapists

The present study examined empathy and hostility toward women among 32 rapists, 28 nonsex offenders, and 40 nonoffender males. Results indicated that rapists were significantly less empathic than either of the other two groups toward women who had been sexually assaulted by an unknown assailant. They were also significantly less empathic toward their own victims than toward any other women, and they were markedly more hostile toward women than were the other subjects. Finally, among the rapists, hostility toward women was significantly negatively related to their empathy toward their own victims.