WOMEN AND THE FEAR OF CRIME - CHALLENGING THE ACCEPTED STEREOTYPE

Professional empirically generated survey data about the fear of crime persistently indicate relatively small but statistically significant differences between fear rates expressed by men and women. Such differ ences are contrasted with objective crime victimization risk ratios; r egularly magnified by amateur surveys; and have been ossified as stere otypes by the media. Subsequently, all women are believed to be fearfu l of crime; and all men fearless. The research reported herein encount ered, paradoxically, fearful men and fearless women. A dissection of t heir qualitatively garnered feelings indicates, in a very provisional way, the general conditions under which crime-related fears are reduce d and enhanced.