Research that has examined observer and victim attitudes toward the assignment of responsibility in rape cases reveals a tendency to blame women, whether they are the victim, the rapist's wife, or the rapist's mother, and to justify male behavior as being provoked or caused by women, most notably the victim. Such attitudes reflect cultural values that perpetuate and justify male sexual violence against women. Such violence is promoted through the widespread distribution of 'aggressive-erotic' pornography and mass media portrayals of gender stereotypes. Some facts about rape that challenge traditional myths are: it is a crime of violence unprovoked by the victim, it violates the victim's civil rights, and produces debilitating psychological effects in the victim that require a variety of services and support efforts. What is required to reduce rape behavior is a concerted public education effort that promotes equality of the sexes and healthy male-female relationships while increasing the stigmatization associated with rape. Fifty-two references are listed.