| Abstract [eng] |
There is a growing effort to understand the connections between sexualization and cyber violence. While research has indicated that the sexualization of young females may increase their vulnerability to cyber violence and harassment, the existing literature presents conflicting findings. This is an important issue to explore, especially in today's technological landscape, as it can enhance our understanding of both young females sexualization and cyber violence. It is for this reason that this study examined the relationship between young women sexualization and their experience of violence. The participants were 118 females aged between 19 and 29 years (M = 24; SD = 2,66). The study included a set of instruments that measured young females sexualization using the Sexualization Enjoyment Scale (Liss, Erchull, & Ramsey, 2011), Sexualized Behavior Scales, developed by the study author based on other research (Erchull & Liss, 2014; Smolak, Murnen, & Myers, 2014), and their experience of cyberbullying using the Technology-Enhanced Sexual Violence Victimization Scale (Powell & Henry, 2019). The findings revealed that 91% of the participants had experienced sexual violence in cyberspace, with sexual harassment being the most prevalent form of violence. The results also indicated a positive correlation between females sexualization and the occurrence of cyber sexual violence. Additionally, there was no significant difference in levels of sexualization and experiences of cyber violence between participants with and without a romantic partner, however, limitations on a partner's sexuality were found to be associated with young women sexualization. This study highlights that young females sexualization may increase their vulnerability to sexual violence in cyberspace, underscoring the risk that online freedom of expression can be misinterpreted, putting them at greater risk of violence. |
