Gender, fear, and victimization

A preliminary application of power-control theory

Bibliographic Data

ID2155108
AuthorsVincent F Sacco (Queen's University, corresponding author)
Year1990
Volume10
Issue4
Pages485-506
Publication date1990-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Spectrum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0273-2173 • E-ISSN: 1521-0707
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02732173.1990.9981942
OpenAlexW2030237776
LanguageEN
Citations received37
References cited35

The accumulated body of research on public fear of victimization has consistently demonstrated that gender is the most useful predictor of tearfulness. However, theoretical attempts to link variations in fear of crime to gender differences have been found wanting. In particular, these theoretical accounts have failed to provide an integrated framework within which it is possible to reconcile findings relevant to gender differences in both fear‐arousing crimes and fear itself. In this article the research on gender differences in fear and victimization is reviewed, and the methodological assumptions that underlie work in this area are critically assessed. The theoretical inadequacies of contemporary explanations of these differences are then made explicit. Borrowing from the work of Hagan, Gillis, and Simpson, it is suggested that insights derived from power‐control theory provide an alternative and potentially more valuable conceptualization of the interrelationships among crime, fear, and gender

Conceptualization · Developmental psychology · Fear of crime · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub