Violence
Match made in Heaven (or Hell?): Understanding the High Incidence of Tinder Rapes in Spain.
Open Access: Yes.
Abstract
A recent report revealed that 21.7% of women in Spain who went on a Tinder date were raped. These findings suggest that the incidence of sexual violence on Tinder dates in Spain may be higher than in other social contexts. This study explores the experiences of Tinder users in Spain to understand the factors contributing to this phenomenon and to propose measures for enhancing user safety. We conducted four focus groups separated by sociodemographic characteristics that replicated the typical victims’ and perpetrators’ profile (age and gender). Male participants initially expressed disbelief and attributed the phenomenon to Tinder’s environment, pathological behavior, pornography, and women’s actions. In contrast, female participants accepted the statistic as reflective of real-world issues, dismissing pathological explanations and highlighting systemic victim-blaming, fear-induced paralysis, and the impact of pornography as key factors. The findings underscore a significant disparity in perceptions between genders, with males often minimizing or misattributing the problem, while females recognizing deeper systemic issues. These insights suggest a need for targeted interventions and policies that address both the behavioral and perceptual factors contributing to sexual violence on dating platforms.
Relevance
A 2022 study showed that 21.7% of women who were surveyed in Spain were raped during dates organized through the Tinder dating app. The current study aimed to understand how men and women understand this problem.
“All members of the male groups pointed to early access to pornographic material, without any guidance or control by adults, as one of the main causes.” Likewise, “the female participants pointed to early access to pornographic material, as well as its content without any guidance or control by adults, as one of the main causes of the phenomenon.” Both the men and the women “agreed that exposure to pornographic material…distorted the image men had about sex, leading them to perform aberrant behaviors that are inspired” by pornography.
Citation
Sayeras, J., & Rueff-Lopes, R. (2025). Match made in Heaven (or Hell?): Understanding the High Incidence of Tinder Rapes in Spain. The Spanish journal of psychology, 28, e2. https://doi.org/10.1017/SJP.2024.33
