Gender, Fear, and Victimization: A Preliminary Application of Power-Control Theory

• NCJ Number: 131928
• Journal: Sociological Spectrum Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (1990) Pages: 485-506
• Author(s): V F Sacco
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented in an earlier version at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, November 1988, Chicago, Illinois.

Annotation

This article argues that power-control theory may be useful in understanding the apparent paradox involved in issues of gender, fear, and victimization in which men, who are more likely to be victimized than women, express lower levels of concern about personal safety.

Abstract

The author suggests that this paradox may be more apparent than real because domestic control processes that encourage risk taking and even delinquency also tend to increase victimization risk and discourage fear. The emphasis on the impact of power control on familial control recognizes the role of gender and class stratification in the structuring of reaction to crime. The power-control theory can build upon previous criminological models of public reaction to crime by detailing the nature of the exogenous structural constraint and role obligation variables. This theory can provide a research framework that allows more specific formulations concerning exposure, subjective vulnerability, and hidden crime to be understood. 54 references (Author abstract modified)