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Inaccurate beliefs that women commonly lie about sexual assault and target innocent men are pervasive in the United States, particularly on college and university campuses. Research consistently demonstrates that false reports of sexual assault account for less than 10% of reported cases and that individuals are unlikely to be wrongly accused of sexual assault. Thus, to pursue justice on campuses and beyond, family scholars must challenge misinformation about false reports in their teaching and scholarship to shiftthe narrative away from these prevalent and harmful rape myths. Doing so will allow for a more comprehensive and informed dialogue about how to address sexual assault on university campuses. This article offers a feminist analysis of the issue, clearly delineates the definition of a false report, critically reviews the false report literature, and presents suggestions for educational efforts by family professionals.

Key Words: False report, feminism, gender issues, rape, sexual assault, violence against women.

The inaccurate belief that women often lie about sexual assault and blame innocent men for a crime they did not commit is a harmful myth circulating in the wider culture, including on college campuses. Although empirical evidence indicates that false reports of sexual assault account for less than 10% of cases reported (Ferguson & Malouff, 2016; Lisak, Gardinier, Nicksa, & Cote, 2010; Lonsway, 2010), there is a sentiment among some people that feminist advancements with Title IX on university campuses have overcorrected the issue to the point that many innocent college men are being unfairly persecuted (e.g., Yoffe, 2014). The rationale underlying concerns about overcorrection dovetails with the inaccurate belief that false reports are common and that innocent individuals are therefore frequently accused of sexual assault. Because these erroneous beliefs are harmful to the pursuit of justice, it is essential that we as educators, researchers, and helping professionals confront misconceptions about false reports.

In this article, I address feminist theoretical framings and extant social science research on false reports and highlight why misconceptions about false reports impede justice on campus and in the criminal justice system. First, I utilize a feminist lens to consider why misperceptions about the rate of false sexual assault reports and the prevalence of innocent college men being accused of rape occur, especially among college students. Second, I delineate the...

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