A Gendered Analysis of the Shadow of Sexual Harm Among a College Sample

Abstract

This study uses survey methodology to examine correlates of fear of crime among men and women to discern the unique impact of risk perception, victimization, vicarious victimization, and fear of sexual harm on fear of crime. Recently, scholars have begun to examine fear separately by gender, which is vital given the unique experiences men and women have with fear and victimization. We examine two different types of fear of crime to determine whether the effects of these correlates differ by crime type across gender. Results suggest that fear of sexual harm and risk perception are the most important indicators of fear of crime for both genders; sexual harm fear is particularly impactful for female fear of violence. Race and ethnicity also have interesting impacts for male fear of violent crime because racial and ethnic minorities indicate more fear of violent crime than White males. The findings illustrate how imperative it is to continue to examine fear of specific types of crime as well as distinguish fear by gender.