NCJ Number
138107
Journal
Progress in Human Geography Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: (1991) Pages: 415-431
Date Published
1991
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Women's fear of crime needs to be studied separately from men's because it differs in its extent, its nature, its relation to actual risks, its effects, and its potential for structural analysis.
Abstract
All women do not share the same experience of fear of crime, but broad trends exist which suggest that women's fear differs significantly from men's fear. Sexual violence occurs primarily in private space, yet women tend to fear it far more when they are in public space. The existing paradox between conceptions of public and private space suggests an important area of potential research for geography. Geography would benefit from integrating a feminist analysis into fear of crime research. The spatial research that has been conducted thus far strongly suggests that social rather than environmental factors should be investigated to explain women's fear. The theory of social control offers a good basis for further investigation and theory. Fear of crime limits the opportunities, behavior, spatial perceptions, and daily movements of many women. 72 references