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Blamed or Believed? Media Portrayal of Rape Victims in Sweden Before and After the 2018 Consent Law

Ekman, Liza LU (2026) SOLM02 20261
Sociology of Law Department
Abstract (Swedish)
The ways in which victims of rape are portrayed in news media is important, as they influence
public perceptions of blame and responsibility. Media coverage can contribute to victim
blaming by emphasising certain behaviours or circumstances, or by framing specific narratives.
Despite extensive research on this topic, little is known about how such portrayals are affected
by legal change, and how ‘law in books’ translate into living law. This thesis investigates how
blame attribution in news media changed before and after the introduction of the Consent Law
in Sweden in July 2018. Specifically, it examines whether victim blaming and ideal
victimisation increased or decreased between 2015 and 2023. A mixed-methods approach was
... (More)
The ways in which victims of rape are portrayed in news media is important, as they influence
public perceptions of blame and responsibility. Media coverage can contribute to victim
blaming by emphasising certain behaviours or circumstances, or by framing specific narratives.
Despite extensive research on this topic, little is known about how such portrayals are affected
by legal change, and how ‘law in books’ translate into living law. This thesis investigates how
blame attribution in news media changed before and after the introduction of the Consent Law
in Sweden in July 2018. Specifically, it examines whether victim blaming and ideal
victimisation increased or decreased between 2015 and 2023. A mixed-methods approach was
employed, combining a quantitative content analysis of 120 articles (60 per year) with a
qualitative critical discourse analysis (CDA) of an extreme case sample consisting of eight
articles. Results indicate that victim blaming was more prevalent in 2023 than in 2015, with a
statistically significant increase in the mean value from 1.12 to 1.63 and a median increase from
1.00 to 2.00. The CDA further revealed that not only did victim blaming increase, but the
manner of reporting shifted from overt to more covert forms. Regarding ideal victimisation, no
statistically significant change was observed, with a marginal decrease likely due to chance.
These findings suggest that while legal reforms can generally be positive, they do not
automatically translate into changes in social norms. Therefore, effective social impact may
require additional interventions beyond legal change. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ekman, Liza LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOLM02 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Victim blaming, Ideal victimisation, Media discourse, Consent-based rape legislation, Law in books, Living law
language
English
id
9237709
date added to LUP
2026-06-24 14:48:22
date last changed
2026-06-24 14:48:22
@misc{9237709,
  abstract     = {{The ways in which victims of rape are portrayed in news media is important, as they influence
public perceptions of blame and responsibility. Media coverage can contribute to victim
blaming by emphasising certain behaviours or circumstances, or by framing specific narratives.
Despite extensive research on this topic, little is known about how such portrayals are affected
by legal change, and how ‘law in books’ translate into living law. This thesis investigates how
blame attribution in news media changed before and after the introduction of the Consent Law
in Sweden in July 2018. Specifically, it examines whether victim blaming and ideal
victimisation increased or decreased between 2015 and 2023. A mixed-methods approach was
employed, combining a quantitative content analysis of 120 articles (60 per year) with a
qualitative critical discourse analysis (CDA) of an extreme case sample consisting of eight
articles. Results indicate that victim blaming was more prevalent in 2023 than in 2015, with a
statistically significant increase in the mean value from 1.12 to 1.63 and a median increase from
1.00 to 2.00. The CDA further revealed that not only did victim blaming increase, but the
manner of reporting shifted from overt to more covert forms. Regarding ideal victimisation, no
statistically significant change was observed, with a marginal decrease likely due to chance.
These findings suggest that while legal reforms can generally be positive, they do not
automatically translate into changes in social norms. Therefore, effective social impact may
require additional interventions beyond legal change.}},
  author       = {{Ekman, Liza}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Blamed or Believed? Media Portrayal of Rape Victims in Sweden Before and After the 2018 Consent Law}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}