NCJ Number
137410
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1992) Pages: 162-177
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Rape figures reported by 263 U.S. SMSA's are used to examine patterns of socioeconomic inequality and rates of forcible rape. Gender socioeconomic inequality is measured as the differential between males and females in income, education, occupation, and poverty.
Abstract
Other control variables used in this study are structural factors including the divorce rate, percentage of the male population between the ages of 16 and 34, percentage of the population that is black, and size of the metropolitan population. The findings show that gender income inequality is a significant contributor to rape; the rape rate increases as the income gap between males and females increases. Educational attainment and occupation were not significantly related to the incidence of rape. The authors maintain that rape is a crime of power and power differentials among citizens in the U.S. are largely a measure of income. The findings also indicate that rape is related to the general level of economic inequality and racial income inequality. 2 tables, 5 notes, and 34 references